Doki Doki FANTASY WORLD
by Mystickenji
Summary: Sayori and MC (named Yuuto) are adventurers in a fantasy setting, looking for Yuuto's missing parents. Naturally, things aren't as straightforward as they first appear. Updates roughly once a month.
1. Chapter 1 - Good Morning!

DISCLAIMER: DDLC and its characters belong to Team Salvato. Scenario and and original characters are mine. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1 – Good Morning!

Sunlight peaking around the curtains of the sole window in their room at the inn eventually worked its magic on Sayori, and she rose from her dark sleep. Stirring groggily, she noted that Yuuto, her adventuring companion, must have woken up some time ago – he and his belongings were absent. But their shared belongings remained, entrusted in her care. It happened every day, yet it still surprised her – and put a smile on her face.

Giving herself a 'good morning', she prepared herself for the rest of the day. Having finished the quest that brought them here, they would be heading off to a new place with their rewards and a new task in hand. A few healing spells were prepared just in case they ran into trouble. Unlike Yuuto, she couldn't simply draw in mana whenever she wanted, so he had to guess what kind of fights they might get into, if any. Dressing in her usual blue robe, and gathering everything else, she left to go join her best friend.

Heading downstairs, she could hear snippets of a conversation between many unfamiliar voices, with one familiar one chiming in every so often.

"There's no way you defeated 100 oni by yourself!"

"Hmph! Did so! You should've seen it. I was totally surrounded, and didn't have any backup…

"Which means no one to disprove you. Clever plan."

"You want to get smacked!?"

"Hahahaha! Oh, but please do go on…"

"So, this is the famed "Kurobara', huh? Not what I expected, I have to say…"

"Oh? And what were you expecting? Someone as tall as house and with arms as thick as tree trunks? I've heard that one before… I'm still not sure how I feel about it…"

"Not sure how anyone could confuse you for a giant…"

"Ahahahahaha~!"

"Uuuuuu…! That does it! Come here!"

"Ah, hold on! This is no place for a fight!"

"Yeah, what he said!"

"Hmph! Coward! Now then, let me finish my story…"

Sayori softly giggled. The conversation sounded quite lively, and just hearing it was enough to give her some more energy to get through the day. She skipped the rest of the way down the steps and towards the dining area where all the commotion was. There, she saw Yuuto sitting at a table with a group of other people, likely other wandering souls – here for now and gone soon enough. The innkeeper was also at the table and was the first to notice her.

"Ah, good morning! I think there's still some food left, assuming our famous girl here hasn't eaten it all yet, hahaha."

While the recipient of that little jab fumed and Yuuto chuckled, Sayori thanked the dark-skinned man and took the remainder of a loaf of bread for herself, along with a few other small morsels. At some point between waking up and getting to the ground floor, the aroma of breakfast reached her and changed her primary mood from 'sleepy' to 'hungry'. She sat next to Yuuto, who finally greeted her, patting her on the head.

"About time you got down here, sleepyhead."

"You could've woken me up, you know! It's not like I want to sleep in so much…"

"I'd hope I would know that by now considering how long I've known you. Besides, you could use all the beauty rest you can get!"

Sayori flushed and smiled. "Awww~ than-" She paused, realizing the second level to what he meant. "Yuuto! That's so mean~!" Her face turning a deeper shade of red, she turned her eyes away from the rest of the table and dove mouth first into her meal. The rest of the table burst out in laughter, while Yuuto chuckled, smirking all the while. Sayori was so fun to tease, he thought to himself.

Pausing from her (delicious!) meal, Sayori turned to Yuuto, stared directly into his red eyes intently, a serious expression set on her face. Yuuto stared back. This continued for a few moments, until Sayori broke the mood by sticking her tongue out at her best friend. "Meanie~!" she repeated, flagrantly stealing the rest of Yuuto's food and shoving it onto her plate. She was too busy scarfing her meal down to engage any further.

One of presumed adventurers sitting at the table laughed at Yuuto's expression. "My my my, you certainly deserved that one, Yuuto~" He chuckled, his cat ears wiggling and tail swishing about behind him, and then started licking clean his plate.

"Hah! It's not like you deserve any slack!" added the one called 'Kurobara'. She was a rather short black-haired woman wearing plain brown leather armor and carrying a small brown leather bag that likely contained her few personal belongings. "You should consider yourself lucky to be in the presence of someone as great and experienced as myself." She smirked as she continued with her rant. "In fact, whatever quests you were planning on doing, you can just not bother. I'll handle them from now on."

"No thanks!" Yuuto retorted. Sayori nodded in agreement while still eating.

'Kurobara' laughed. "Hahaha! Guess you have more fighting spirit than I thought!"

Yuuto rolled his eyes and didn't reply.

Sayori on the other hand, had just finished her meal and recovered a bit of the good mood she was granted earlier. In that same spirit, she chirped up. "So, you're the one called 'Kurobara'? It's nice to meet you! My name is Sayori! And Mr. Nekomimi, you are…?"

"I go by Tamao. Very nice to meet you." Tamao's appearance was similar to that of any other black-haired and light-skinned human, but he had black-furred cat-like ears instead of human ones. The cat-man and Sayori bowed to each other. 'Kurobara' likewise exchanged bows with Sayori. "Ah, but we seem to have forgotten… 'Kurobara', your story? You had just found the leader of the oni that were raiding a certain village, and he challenged you to fight 100 of his best men."

'Kurobara' blinked. "Ah! Right! Sorry, I kept getting distracted! Anyway…" And so, the girl resumed her tale of an epic battle and her supposed victory, starting back at the beginning now that she had a new audience member in Sayori.

* * *

Eventually, the adventurers ended up leaving the inn and going their separate ways. Sayori and Yuuto headed towards the center of town, looking for the questor's hall. Each town's hall was different – in the major cities, they were much more prominent, bigger, more striking in their design. But this village was a smaller one, beset by a vast forest on all sides. To the north and west, the forest became denser and denser before running into the mountains and terminating sharply. To the south and east, the forest slowly transitioned into grassland, and then to the shores of a vast ocean. The questor hall in this town was a plain building that blended in with the designs of its neighbors. Only a wooden sign hung on the outside gave any indication that this was the place they were looking for.

The two of them stepped inside, Yuuto leading the way. The inside was just as plain as the outside – a few tables with chairs; scrolls and other artforms placed seemingly at random on the walls; a ladder in the back leading to somewhere unknown; and a few large books on one on the tables in the back. An old man was sweeping the floor, while a younger man was in the back keeping some sort of inventory. On reflex, the old man greeted them, and the duo replied back with the same.

"Weren't you two just here yesterday? What might you be looking for today?" the old man asked. The two had come by yesterday looking for more quests to do, and had taken one up that would keep them in the area. "Did you already finish your quest?"

Yuuto nodded. Sayori added, "Yeah, it didn't take long at all! Though I'm not sure why someone would feel the need to hire adventurers just to cut down some trees…"

"Who knows?" piped up the younger man in the back, who was now walking towards them. "We just get the requests; we don't ask too many questions about why we're getting them. Works out better that way."

"Ah, I see…" Yuuto said.

Sayori chirped up, "What else do you have?"

Nothing had changed since yesterday, and the old man said as such to them. They had their same pick, but with one gone. This worked out fine for them, as the duo has discussed one particular request the day before, and decided to stock up on supplies so they could tackle it.

It seemed that for some time now, that this village – along with some nearby ones – was being haunted by some specter that lived in the surrounding forest. Many who passed through reported a strange sense of being stalked from afar. They felt dread and menace emanating from something – they would not be approached by the monster, only terrified by it from afar. Domesticated animals, however, were less lucky, and many would be attacked and killed if left alone at night. Strangely, they seemed to have been drained of their blood. Many wild animals could be found in the same condition.

This was leading to rumors that a vampire was in the area – a highly intelligent and extremely dangerous demon. In the past, many human settlements had been decimated by a single vampire before anyone could figure out what was happening and retaliate. The fact that it seemed satisfied with only scaring people away was an odd but welcome gift. But no one could say how long the uneasy peace would last.

It seemed that the two of them had shown up at just the right time.

"That creature… the rumored vampire. We'll try out hand at that one," said Yuuto with confidence.

"Good luck with this one, you two. Many people have tried to corner it, but the blasted thing just evades capture. It's quite smart. Don't underestimate it." The old man said all this as his younger counterpoint began searching around in the back for something again.

Both Sayori and Yuuto nodded. "We just need to scare it off, right?" Sayori asked. "I'm sure we can do that!"

"You mean I'm going to do that. You're about as scary as a small dog," added Yuuto.

Sayori frowned. "Yuuto! I can totally be scary~!"

"I'm not sure I can believe that, Miss 'only knows healing spells'."

"Hmph! Whatever. I'll show you someday and give you a great big scare~!"

"That'll be the day…"

As that conversation ended, the younger man returned with a scroll containing all the known information regarding the quest, as well as their expected reward should they succeed. Contained within was a map of the forest, with approximate locations of where each of the monster's attacks occurred. The creature could seemingly be anywhere it wanted, but most of the attacks seemed to center towards a dense patch of woods not too far west of town. It was far enough out, however, that they would have to set up a temporary camp while they searched for it… or more likely they would be resting there when it approached them at night.

The quest accepted and with the scroll in hand, Sayori and Yuuto promptly started heading out of town. It was still mid-day and they could make good distance into the forest in search for trails or clues before needing to make camp. And as they were leaving town, they saw none other than a certain black-haired and short girl who was supposedly one of the fiercest warriors in all the land. They were originally going to simply pass her by, but to their surprise, she was the one who waved them over.

Yuuto had to get in the first word as they bowed to each other and exchanged greetings. "And to what do we owe this honor, oh great one?"

'Kurobara' crossed her arms as she replied. "Hey, drop the attitude! I'm just trying to help you out, you know. You ought to be careful! Word is there's a vampire in these woods. I wouldn't have any problems, of course, but small fry like you" – which she emphasized by pointing at them, lingering mostly on Sayori – "will just be food for that beast."

Sayori frowned, but before she could defend herself, Yuuto had to interject again, this time with: "I don't think I want to be called 'small fry' by someone like you, even if you are supposedly super-strong…"

'Kurobara' had the fury of 100 rampaging oni etched into her face. "EXCUSE YOU!? I ought to do that vampire a favor and just wring your neck and leave you for it as a peace offering!" She gave off a menacing aura and the air around her began to ripple the same way it does on a summer day. And was Yuuto imagining things, or was she getting more muscular…?

Luckily for him, an embarrassed Sayori intervened, covering his open mouth with her free hand and shifting the subject back to the original matter. "Please excuse my friend, 'Kurobara'! We're grateful for your concern… but we already know about the vampire. Actually, we're on a quest to go deal with it… and… well, we may not have as much experience as you, but please have more confidence in us. It's not as if we're new to this, after all…."

'Kurobara' raised an eyebrow at that, and the menacing aura faded and the wind that had suddenly started to blow calmed down. "You two are going to fight a vampire? I mean, you don't look that weak, but…" She paused and considered something. "Say, why do you want to fight it anyway?"

Sayori hesitated, and turned to Yuuto. The two locked eyes for a moment before Yuuto nodded and answered the black-haired girl. "Vampires are smart and well-traveled creatures. We're hoping that it might know something… see, my parents have gone missing and I'm hoping to figure out what happened to them, Sayori volunteered to help out since she didn't want me to go alone. I would, of course, be just fine, but I'll gladly take the help if its freely offered."

'Kurobara' didn't quite believe that last part, but as for the early bits… "And you think some random vampire might know where they are? What, are they famous or something?"

Yuuto told her who his parents were, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Ehhh!? Those two are missing? How!?"

Yuuto shrugged. "Haven't heard from them in months. We're running out of possibilities… I know they like to go around and help random towns with their problems, so we're trying our luck here."

Sayori piped up. "You haven't happened to run into them, have you 'Kurobara'? You're a wanderer, too, right? If you have any ideas at all…"

'Kurobara' frowned. "No… I think you're on the right track, though, knowing them…" And of course, now she wanted to know what might have happened to such a powerful duo now that they've seemingly vanished. "Hey, tell you what… how about I help you out? Now you've got me curious."

Sayori moved her staff out of the way so she could clasp her hands around those of the other girl. "Really? Thanks so much for your help!"

Yuuto was more skeptical. "And what are you getting out of this, exactly?"

'Kurobara' chuckled. "Hahaha… didn't you just say you would take help if it was freely offered?"

"Yeah, from a friend… which you're not."

"Hmph, fair enough. But you're reading too much into this… I just want to fight against whatever it is that has your parents off in hiding. Besides, we're going the same way… at least for a while."

"Oh? And what are you up to?"

'Kurobara' hesitated, looking away from the duo. "It's… personal. I'll tell you later. When we're friends." She then gave a bright smile. "Now come on, we're wasting daylight!"

"Oh, alright… I guess I can't say no to that."

"Yaaaaay~!" chimed in Sayori. "A new friend!"

With that, the duo became a trio and they finally left town.


	2. Chapter 2 - At Night!

Chapter 2 – At Night…

Sunset upon the western horizon could barely been seen between the thick woods that Sayori, Yuuto, and 'Kurobara' were passing through, in search of any signs of the alleged vampire. So far, they had found little, despite the fact that they were in the right area as they had been told. There was the occasional sign that something had passed through before – disturbed branches, footsteps, and burnt logs – but nothing that definitely pointed to a supernatural creature rather than simply some other adventuring party.

"You're sure this is the right area?" 'Kurobara' asked again.

"I think so…" replied Yuuto, holding up the map they were given.

"You 'think so' or 'know so'? Come on, I could swear we've passed by that tree over there before!" she said back, pointing to a tree with three carved lines into it.

"…" Yuuto sighed and walked towards said tree. "…that's because we have…" He pulled out a small knife and craved out another line into the tree. If one looked carefully, one could see many other trees with similar marks. It was clear to both of them that this was going nowhere fast. In fact, Sayori had already given up and was sitting under the shade of a nearby tree, napping and leaning back into its bark, her staff laid down across her lap.

After a quick yawn, Yuuto walked towards her. He poked her forehead while telling her to wake up. Can't say I blame her to wanting to nap though, he thought to himself. It would be a nice day to relax… if we didn't have a mission to complete! "Sayori… Sayori… Waaaakeeee uuuuuup…"

Sayori mumbled in her sleep and shifted slightly, trying to move away from Yuuto's incessant prodding. "Zzzzz… I don't wannaaaa…" She tilted further to the left. "Yuu~uuto… stop… zzzzzz… pleaaa-ah!" As she titled more and more, she eventually fell over to the side, dropping her staff on the ground. In the distance, there was rustling in the bushes as a few small animals fled at the sudden noise.

Sayori groaned, the lightness in her mood from earlier rapidly dissipating with the setting sun. "Yuuto, you don't need me right now, right? I'd be a burden… So isn't it fine if I-"

Yuuto interrupted her. "Sayori, how many times am I going to have to tell you this before you believe it? I want you by my side. It doesn't matter that you're not a fighter. I'm grateful to have your help."

Sayori blushed and was silent for a bit. Finally, she stammered out. "Y-Yuuto, that's so unfair! What am I supposed to say in response to that!?"

"You're welcome?" he offered with a smirk.

'Kurobara', walking back towards the duo after making sure nothing was using that brief moment of distraction to sneak up on them, chose that moment to ask a question she had in mind since meeting them that morning. "So… um… are you two…?"

Sayori's blush glowed brightly enough to rival the setting sun, while Yuuto just chuckled. But if one looked closely, one could tell that he was also blushing lightly. 'Kurobara' raised an eyebrow when she noticed those reactions. Meanwhile, he was saying something about how they were childhood friends and grew up together or something like that. "Okay, whatever, I've heard enough," she said to shut him up.

"Hmph! If we're going to be friends, we should learn more about each other, you know…"

"Sure, but we can worry about that later. We're burning daylight and you don't have camp set up."

"Ah! Right, the sun will be done setting soon!" interjected Sayori, who walked off to start setting up.

Yuuto looked around. "Well, this is as good a place as any… may as well rest here for the night." He turned to 'Kurobara', who was inspecting one of the trees. "Hey, you don't have any camping gear, do you…? Don't tell me you were just planning on using our stuff…"

"No… This one should be good though." And before Yuuto could ask what she meant, 'Kurobara' grabbed on to one of the trees with one hand, stretched her arm out, and then used that same hand to fling herself into the tree's branches. She could still be seen within the foliage, but would be easy to miss if one wasn't expecting her, especially given the plain brown leather armor she was wearing. Finally, she found a suitably thick branch and lay on it. "I'll be up here if you need me!"

"Umm… okay…" said Yuuto.

Sayori was focused elsewhere and hadn't even noticed, having been getting out their camping supplies. "Yuuto, come on! I need your help!"

"Sorry, be right there!"

But despite that fact that everything seemed peaceful, 'Kurobara' couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

* * *

Meanwhile, some distance away, two watchers in the trees were observing the trio who had entered their forest, and waited until they were sure the black-haired girl hadn't seen them before they moved again to better hide themselves. Their rustling was ignored by that group, who mistook it for some small animals.

"The girl in the trees… you should go after her. I bet her blood would be delicious…"

"Miss Kikyo, are you certain about that plan? That one seems to be quite powerful…"

"Yes, Lady Yuri. She's separating herself from the others… an easy target, even for you."

"Alright… I will try… but I should wait until nightfall, I think. When the other two are asleep…"

"Of course, my lady. Let's retreat for now and I shall sate my thirst elsewhere."

More rustling as they departed.

That concerning feeling of being watched left 'Kurobara', and as moments continued to pass without incident, she forgot entirely about it.

* * *

The dead of night – no moon in the sky, only the twinkling stars and the black canvas between. Yuuto and Sayori had finished setting up camp some time ago. The two of them and "Kurobara' ate dinner in peace, able to hear only the movements of small animals, not the patient hunters in wait. Yuuto and Sayori were fast asleep, with 'Kurobara' keeping watch in the trees.

As time passed, that feeling of distant eyes upon her returned. But it was accompanied by nothing she could see. Their surroundings were lit only by a single campfire that one of them occasionally had to tend in order to keep it lit.

She yawned, and then froze in place mid-yawn.

Finally! A menacing aura! And it was coming from her left and away from camp. The creature was approaching and she'd have to-

She sunk back towards the tree, barely dodging a knife that flew past her face. Swiftly, 'Kurobara' hopped down from the tree and dashed towards the direction the weapon came from – a nearby bush. But a cloaked something, or someone, hopped out and started running too – away from her.

"You're not getting away from me!" 'Kurobara' yelled as she was drawn further and further away from her newfound allies, and slowly gaining on her assailant. Said mystery person seemed to realize this was happening, and threw something else at 'Kurobara'.

The black-haired woman dodged the second knife without difficulty, but it did force some distance between the two, allowing the cloaked one to escape. 'Kurobara' followed the direction she assumed the person went- and barely side-stepped two knives aimed squarely at her, one by the shoulder and the other by her torso. They cut through her armor and skin, leaving shallow wounds that started to bleed.

The menacing aura increased. Could it smell her blood from afar? But, two could play that game…

Standing upright, 'Kurobara' began to breathe deep and slow. She closed her eyes and focused on sensing where the (most likely a) vampire could be. Her own aura flared up, responding to the challenge.

She lunged forward at her target, leaping across several meters of woodland and punching deeply into a tree. The pressure buckled the tree and it bent towards her. The pressure wave given off and sudden movements startled her assailant, who tripped and fell down to the ground while trying to escape.

Huh… that sounded a lot like a girl, 'Kurobara' thought, while giving chase again. Fortunately for her, she was much faster than her target and was able to corner the supposed vampire in short notice.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize there was a second one until after she was struck on the back of her head, and had already begun losing consciousness.

* * *

Darkness. Rustling. The sounds of disturbed grass. Groaning. A dull ache.

"She is stirring… and will wake up soon."

"Good. I was worried you'd killed her with how hard you hit her. Then this would've all been for nothing, hahaha~."

"Ah… you really thought so, Miss Kikyo?"

"I'm exaggerating, Lady Yuri… all the same it's good that this worked out."

These voices… they were unfamiliar. Not the two she was with before. Then who…?

'Kurobara' gasped and opened her eyes. She was lying down on cold grass, restrained by ropes. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but she felt too weak to break out of them, like something had been drained out of her. The back of her head also felt wet and sticky for some reason, and she had a killer headache.

All in all, not a good night for her.

"HEY!" she shouted at the two still-fuzzy silhouettes, while struggling against her bonds. "Let me go!"

One of them laughed, while the other turned towards her. She could see more details now (both women were quite tall and pale-skinned) but the world was still blurry. The one who turned towards her said something about maybe letting her go after they'd finished drinking her blood. "But, you do have the most delicious blood I have ever had… uuu… I wish to keep you, but if you insist on your freedom…"

"Lady Yuri!" interrupted the other one (brown hair? the other one has purple hair?) "You're being far too soft! What's the opinion of a human to someone like us? If you want to keep her, then keep her. The bigger issue here is this girl's absurd power level… but I guess even she is vulnerable to sneak attacks."

The brown-haired woman chuckled to herself, while 'Kurobara' had a sudden realization. Yes, she was chasing one vampire, and it turned out to be a duo. Yes, she had no idea how far away from camp she was, or for that matter what direction it was in from here. Yes, even though she could still use her powers, she was too weak to be able to fight them off, even if they weren't that strong (if they needed to resort to tricks, they knew they couldn't beat her in an honest battle). And they planned on keeping her weak by drinking her blood. In other words, the only way to get out was to convince them to let her go.

Oh, and apparently, they were still talking.

"Oh no, Lady Yuri! As the first human you've ever captured, you should get the honor of the first bite."

"But Miss Kikyo… this was only possible with your assistance. And… what about the other two? If they come searching, you will be in a much better position to lure them away than I would be."

"Yes, but I can do that anyway thanks to that drink I had earlier. Besides, weren't you saying something earlier about how delicious this girl's blood was? Take her for yourself, hahaha~."

'Kurobara' could now clearly see that both vampires were wearing dirty brown cloaks, ripped in various places. The brown-haired and brown-eyed one ('Kikyo') was the taller of the two, although the purple-haired and purple-eyed one ('Yuri') was also quite tall. She ignored a pang of jealousy and focused on her surroundings. They were in another small clearing, beset by trees and bushes on all sides. None looked obviously disturbed, so there was no way to tell which direction they arrived here from.

"Uuuuuu… Yes, I did…."

"I'll keep watch while you feed. Don't worry, I'll give you some privacy!"

"…Thanks."

Kikyo leapt into the trees, and only subtle signs of movement and small rustling noises gave any indication as to where she was. 'Kurobara' could naturally detect her since she was so experienced, but the other two never would. She bet they hadn't even noticed she was missing!

Yuri, on the other hand, gingerly stepped towards her, clearly nervous for some reason. The vampire's purple eyes occasionally glanced directly into her pink ones, only to glance away in discomfort. Finally, she decided to cut the tension. "Look… if you're gonna do it, then do it already… geez…"

"Uuuuu…" 'Kurobara' would've been wondering why the vampire was suddenly blushing if she wasn't so angry with herself about getting stuck in this scenario. "Yes, sorry…"

'Kurobara' decided not to wonder why a vampire would apologize to her meal. The vampire picked her up with only a little difficultly and leaned her against a tree, likely for easier access to her neck. Silently, the vampire straddled her legs and leaned into her body, baring glistening fangs. The vampire used her arms to pin 'Kurobara' in place against the tree… not like she could move much anyway.

She had to wonder why exactly they had to get into this position for the vampire to be able to bite her, but all thoughts along those lines ceased as soon as Yuri bit down. She was expecting a lot of pain, but what she got felt more like a whole load of pleasure all at once. She moaned and hissed as the vampire greedily drained more and more of her blood, and eventually she fainted in ecstatic bliss.

Yuri was sated after a few minutes, and had to force herself to stop, lest she drain the girl dry and there not be any more of this so delicious and sweet blood. Halfway through, she had to close her eyes and pretend not to listen so that the girl's… reaction… wasn't so distracting. Now she opened them and…

"Miss Kikyo… this girl, her hair was black before, yes?"

"Correct, Lady Yuri," replied a voice from afar. "Why do you ask?"

"Does drinking the blood of a girl normally cause her hair to turn pink?"

* * *

A room filled with darkness. Heavy curtains shut out the sun. She's breathing in the shallows. Hesitation and determination clash with each other. There's a pile of rope on the floor, approaching her.

She doesn't recognize this room, or the writings scribbled on paper nearby, or the shape she's making.

She does recognize swirling maelstrom of self-loathing buzzing in her head and a voice crying out…

A pink flash interrupts it all, and Sayori awakes with a start in near-total darkness. The fire… what happened to it? She turns and can barely make out Yuuto in the tent. He seems startled as well. The details of the nightmare are already starting as fade as she forces herself to become more awake.

"The fire… why is it out? And did you see a pink flash in your dream, too, Yuuto?"

"Huh? The fire…?" He blinked in the darkness. "Right! The fire! 'Kurobara' was supposed to be tending it. I bet she fell asleep!"

Sayori frowned. "She didn't seem that irresponsible…"

The two of them, alert yet confused, grab a few items and exit their tent, still conversing.

"Not irresponsible? She didn't have any camping gear! …Or much of anything else for that matter… What do you think was she doing before, just sleeping out in the same clothes over and over? I'm surprised she doesn't smell bad…" As he was saying this, he unsheathed a short sword. Focusing magic into it, the tip became engulfed by a weak flame, able to give them enough light to see their surroundings.

"…Yuuto, I don't… oh hey, look!" Sayori pointed towards a pair of footprints headed out from their camp. But looking further out, another set appeared, also leading away towards… somewhere.

Sayori gasped, putting it all together. "She must have found the vampire! Quick, we have to go and…!"

"...save her before she gets killed?"

"No! …OK, I'm concerned about that too. But if she kills it, then we can't get any information!"

Yuuto frowned. That was why they were here after all. "Right. Let's go!"

The two of them marched into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3 - and Towards the Dawn

Chapter 3 - …and Towards the Dawn

Fire and footprints guided the path of Sayori and Yuuto through the darkness. Their campground was far behind them, the re-ignited campfire a distant twinkle. How far had their new companion chased her prey? It was hard to tell how long they had been walking. A sleepy Sayori was leaning on him. As they walked, he could detect a thin scent of blood drifting in the air. Another clue and another trail, matching up with the ones they were already following. He drew Sayori closer and she became slightly more alert.

Looking down, she was easily able to see…

"Yuuto, look!"

…an imprint of someone's body in the dirt and grass, along with a trail of blood. Looking further ahead, it had marked out a clear path, along with two pairs of footsteps, neither of which matched those of their companion, and only one of which resembled those that 'Kurobara' was following.

"Looks like there's two of them…" Yuuto said while looking around. He then saw the buckled tree. "…and I have to wonder who exactly did that?" he asked while pointing it out to Sayori.

"I don't know… but… we have to keep going, right?"

Yuuto nodded. Hopefully, 'Kurobara' was still alive and the vampires hadn't already disappeared.

They kept moving deeper into the woods. As much as possible, they kept silent – not speaking and minimizing every sound they made, to better absorb the ambiance. The fire from Yuuto's sword would still give them away, but it would be better from them to prepared for a fight.

Eventually, the footsteps and the blood stopped, seemingly at random. The scent trail had gone cold.

"…now what?" pondered Sayori out loud. They were seemingly at a dead end.

The two looked around for any other clues, but found no signs that the vampires had taken another path.

Is this it? Did they really just disappear? Yuuto thought to himself. No… there has to be something missing. He looked at a tree and was reminded of the buckled tree from before. He then thought about how 'Kurobara' had launched herself into a tree using only her own strength. But the tree itself hadn't been damaged in any way. In the best-case scenario, maybe she had escaped and fled already and was wandering aimlessly like they were. But in the worst-case scenario, the vampires could so the same…

A blur of motion out of the corner of his vision was all the warning Yuuto had as a cloaked person dove out of the trees towards his friend. He swiftly turned towards her and lunged forward, sword ablaze and ready to strike. Sayori, not seeing the threat but seeing her friend suddenly on the attack, dove out of the way into a nearby bush. She flailed her way out of it, in time to see Yuuto and the cloaked assailant stare each other down, each wielding a short sword but also out of range of the other's blows.

"Who are you!?" Yuuto asked, demanding an answer, the fire at the edge of his blade burning brighter.

The cloaked figure did not answer. Instead, they replied: "Leave here at once, and I will allow you safe passage. Fight and I shall strike you down. Make your choice."

Yuuto growled. He glanced around to make sure their surroundings were clear and this person had no backup nearby, and it looked to be so. Sayori was sitting in front of a bush, holding up her staff and ready to intervene with healing or similar spells if needed. "And who are you to make such demands!?" he asked.

"I am myself. You cannot defeat me. Surrender and depart from my sight."

"Not unless I get some answers!" Yuuto shifted forward slightly, and the cloaked one backed up a bit in response to maintain their distance. "Since you won't answer that one… did you see any vampires around here? Maybe a black-haired girl was with them? But they'd probably be wearing a disguise…"

"I don't care for your implications. I have made myself clear. Flee or perish. Choose one."

Yuuto slid his right forward and settled some weight back on his left foot, preparing to attack. "I choose nei-!" But he was interrupted by…

"Ahhh!"

"Uuuu… I do not wish to harm either of you… but if you continue to resist, I will strike without mercy!" said another cloaked person, currently restraining a frightened Sayori with their right hand and holding a knife to her neck with the left hand. Yuuto froze in place when he saw this, and his opponent promptly took the opportunity to attack. There was no time to dodge, so he deflected the swing in such a way that he was pushed closer to Sayori and the unknown other assailant, although he had to keep his back to them. Said person drew their knife in closer while being addressed by their partner in crime.

"…My lady, what about…?"

"Still unconscious. But perhaps we should hurry; she may already be starting to recover."

Yuuto interjected. "So this means that you're-?"

He was interrupted by the one who had attacked him. "The girl is no longer your concern. She's in our care now. Again, we're willing to let you leave here alive, so just take the offer and leave!"

A confused Sayori also asked a question, as she was trying to piece together the information they had in order to keep herself from panic. "But wait… if all you wanted to do was kidnap someone for their blood, why didn't you attack any of the other people? And why go after all those animals?"

"That's none of your concern!" said one before the other could give anything away. "In any case, we have what we want so we're leaving this area. That's all those humans wanted in the end, right?"

"…Yes, it is…" said Yuuto. He was thinking of a new plan now. "Alright then, I'll give up." He dropped his fighting stance, and so did his attacker in return. He could hear a sigh of relief from the one who had held Sayori hostage as she released her. He noticed she was apologizing to Sayori as he kept talking. "There's just one thing I want before Sayori and I leave…"

"Let me guess, you want to see your friend to make sure that she's still alive? That's not a problem. But in exchange, you can't reveal our true identities. Make up a story about how you scared some horrible monster away, okay?"

"I can accept that. Killing you wasn't ever our plan to begin with."

"Oh? And what was?"

"We can talk along the way."

The cloaked figure chuckled. "Very well… follow me…"

* * *

For supposed prisoners, the two vampires (Kikyo and Yuri, according to them) didn't feel the need to restrain Sayori and Yuuto in any way. Perhaps they felt no need to, seeing how easily they had subdued the two humans earlier. They were travelling under only starlight, so the humans could barely make out their surroundings, and could hardly find their way back to camp in any case. Sayori was once again leaning onto Yuuto, but this time she was just as alert as he was.

Briefly, before the vampires began leading them towards their own camp, Yuuto had mentioned his idea to rescue their new companion. Sayori readily agreed, but they could only hope it prevailed.

For now, they were discussing the matter that led the three humans into this forest in the first place.

"I know the two people you're talking about, but I haven't met them myself. Can't help you there… But for two as powerful as them to suddenly disappear is disconcerting. Hmmm…" Kikyo pondered the matter silently for a bit. "Perhaps… I've some rumors about the angel clan and some secret magic weapon they're developing. Maybe those two are investigating that?"

"Yeah, that sounds like something they would do," commented Yuuto.

"A secret weapon?" asked Sayori. "Do you know anything else about it?"

Kikyo shook her head. "No… I've been here with my lady, so that's all I know."

"Sorry…" Yuri mumbled under her breath.

"Don't apologize, Lady Yuri! You haven't done anything wrong. It's been my pleasure to serve you ever since your family took me in."

"Still, you could be…"

"I am where I want to be." Kikyo ended that tangent by changing the subject. "In any case, we're here." 'Here' in this case was another starlit clearing that contained a pair of plain brown bags, probably belonging to the vampires and containing their personal belongings, and a girl with bright pink hair who was unconscious and restrained by ropes. She was wearing the same attire as 'Kurobara'. Once Sayori and Yuuto moved closer to her, they could see that she was quite pale and had a congealed wound on the back of her head and a bite mark on her neck. Despite the damage, she seemed to be peacefully asleep, although her breathing was a bit labored.

"…so who is this?" Yuuto asked, breaking the silence.

"Yuuto!" interjected Sayori. "This has to be her! Even if her hair is the wrong color, she looks just like 'Kurobara'. So it has to be her! …right?"

Kikyo affirmed Sayori's statement as she stood behind Yuuto. "Yes. We didn't ask her for a name, but this is the same girl who was with you two earlier. Her hair did that when she fainted after my lady had her fill." Yuri took this time to stand behind Sayori.

"…This is a surprise to you as well?" said lady asked. "Most intriguing… Hmm... I wish to wake her up and ask her why that happened, but doubt she will want to answer if she went through the trouble of a disguise. Uuuuu…" She began playing with her fingers as she thought more about this curiosity.

"Well then, you have what you want, so leave," firmly stated Kikyo.

"Ummm… she's pretty hurt. May I heal her?" asked Sayori.

"Why? Won't she heal fine on her own?" asked Kikyo back. Besides, if she was too healthy, she might be able to flee when the two of them weren't looking, and then they would be right back where they started.

Sayori put a hand on 'Kurobara's head and ran her fingers through the sleeping girl's hair. The hand came out crusted with flakes of dried blood. "Ahhh… well, maybe. But with how much blood she's lost so suddenly, I wouldn't be surprised if she died the next time you decided to… well, feed on her." Sayori, of course, didn't know that for sure, but was bluffing and hoped the vampires were unfamiliar enough with human weaknesses to go along with it. Not that 'Kurobara' wasn't actually in danger though…

Kikyo merely frowned while Yuri had a more animated response.

"Eh!?" exclaimed the purple-haired woman. "Did I really drink so much? Uuuuu…. I must be more reasonable in the future with my blood consumption. In the meantime, I insist you heal this girl at once!"

"My lady, we can find more humans…" Kikyo pointed out.

"Perhaps so… but the taste of this one is exquisite and would be terrible to lose. You understand, Miss Kikyo, yes?"

"…" Kikyo sighed in surrender. "Very well." She turned to Sayori, and added to the order. "But hurry and then depart once you finish. Got it?"

Sayori nodded and moved at once, bringing forward her staff and hovering one end over the sleeping 'Kurobara'. She chanted softly a lyrical prayer, and a cool silver light began to emanate from it. As the light shone on 'Kurobara', color began to return to her cheeks and the bite marks and remnants of the head wound began to be healed over.

Yuri watched in awe while Yuuto smiled and Kikyo's frown deepened.

"You'll be gone before she wakes up, you know? In case you were planning to team up…"

Oh, he knew that, and said as much to her. He didn't say that such a thing was part of their improvised plan as well, which was going rather smoothly. In the meantime, Yuuto pressed Kikyo for any more details she could possible give regarding that rumor she had heard. When she had none, he asked the two vampires what had brought them to this forest. Surprised that he would actually want to hear such a story, the two went along with it, regaling him with the tale of how the two met after Kikyo was taken in by a clan of vampires, how the two became close, and how Yuri was eventually cast out by her family and Kikyo chose to join in her lot rather than abandon her to her fate.

Because of this, Sayori was essentially unobserved while healing their new companion.

A short time passed before Sayori was finished, the glowing light ceasing and 'Kurobara' looking quite healthy. Her hair was still pink, however, which Sayori didn't know how to fix or even if it needed to be fixed. With that, Sayori and Yuuto bid the vampires farewell and walked away, true to their word.

"You know, you're far too kind for a vampire, my lady. There's no reward for that type of behavior."

"Maybe, but… I want to stay true to myself. I have no hatred for the humans the same way my parents or you do. I wish to understand them better… but at the same time, I still must feed on them. It is quite sad that all those animals died for nothing. Would it have been better that I could be satisfied with them…"

"You're right, it sure would've been… for you!" interjected a third voice.

And so, the two vampires realized that 'Kurobara' had awoken now that she had flexed out of the ropes binding her and leapt at the two of them, thoroughly enraged and ready to beat them down.

* * *

For their part, Sayori and Yuuto hadn't wandered that far away from 'Kurobara' and the two vampires when their companion had finally broken free and started her attack. Now that they weren't being restrained, Yuuto had re-ignited the fire sword they were using for light, and they spent the time finding the path that would take them back to their camp. All they needed to do now was wait for a victory.

After only a short time, the noises of fighting ceased and the duo went back to the vampire's camp.

They returned to see the pink-haired 'Kurobara' breathing heavily while standing over an exhausted Kikyo. Meanwhile, Yuri was cradling her companion in her arms while begging for 'Kurobara' to stop. The pinkette didn't seem inclined to, but was collecting herself and couldn't be bothered to respond.

Sayori took this moment to speak up. "'Kurobara', are you…?"

"I'll be… fine…" interrupted 'Kurobara'. "And… thanks for… the healing…" She stopped, clenched her fists and took a deep breath, steadying herself. "How'd you manage that, anyway?"

"We went around searching for you, and ran into them," Sayori said while gesturing towards the vampires. She and Yuuto drew closer as she continued speaking. "We uhhh… were ambushed, hahaha… Yuuto tried to fight but I got taken hostage so we had to surrender. So we came up with a sneaky plan!"

"We saw the buckled tree earlier and I guessed it was because of you. I guessed that they lured you away and ambushed you, as they wouldn't want to fight you honestly once they knew your power," added Yuuto. "Naturally, this means you could've defeated them by yourself if you had the opportunity."

"So I gave it to you~!" exclaimed Sayori with cheer, who was now checking 'Kurobara' for wounds. She didn't look cut anywhere, and only had a few minor bruises and injuries from fighting in close combat with Kikyo. Kikyo's injuries were of a similar nature but looked much worse. Yuri was uninjured.

'Kurobara' chuckled, smirking. "Hahahaha… Not bad! Looks like I under-estimated you two…" Then her expression grew serious. "But seriously, thanks for the rescue. I'm sure I would have escaped eventually, but your help is much appreciated. Now as for these two…"

'Kurobara' turned her attention back to the two vampires with a growling voice and cracking knuckles. "What should we do with them!?"

Yuri shrunk back a bit from the implied threat as Kikyo feebly growled at 'Kurobara' while trying to sit up. Yuri aided her companion in leaning on her as they sat in front of the group, but made no moves to stand.

"Hmmm… our mission is just to scare them off…" Yuuto said, while thinking about what 'Kurobara' had asked. "As long as they promise to leave and not return, we don't have to do anything else to them."

'Kurobara' frowned, glaring at the man. "They kidnapped me and planned to keep me their prisoner forever, and you want to let them go? Hmph! They'll just do this again to someone else. We need to…"

"Uuuuu…" Yuri interjected, sensing where 'Kurobara' was trying to lead the conversation. "I… i-if we promise not to do this kind of thing again, will you please spare us? We are at your mercy." After saying this, Yuri bowed to the trio and stayed low to the ground. Kikyo stared at her in shock for a moment, but soon joined her while growling out a bitter apology.

The trio saw this and went into a group huddle.

'Kurobara' raised the obvious counter-argument – that they had no way of knowing if the vampires would ever keep their word. Sayori and Yuuto agreed. Even if the two were being honest right now, there was no way to tell how things would change if they ever became desperate for blood. Sayori mentioned that the she and Yuuto had actually been discussing this while 'Kurobara' was fighting, since they would need proof that they had gotten rid of the vampires anyway. They had come upon one idea with no obvious flaws but one – that 'Kurobara' probably wouldn't like it. When they told her what it was, she agreed with their assessment. But since they didn't trust the vampiric duo and weren't inclined to kill them, their options were limited. After promising 'Kurobara' something good in return, she assented to the plan.

The trio turned their attention back to Yuri and Kikyo, who were still in that respectful deep bow despite the fact that they could have used those moments to escape.

'Kurobara' spoke up first. "It's your lucky day… night… whatever. I've been convinced to spare you. But!" she said as Yuri was breathing a sigh of relief, "we're not letting you go your own way either. You're coming with us."

Yuri and Kikyo rose out of their bows, Yuri with a confused look and Kikyo with an enraged one. "Excuse you!? Us, become hostages to humans!? I think I'd rather-!"

"We accept," interrupted Yuri, her confusion gone and replaced with certainty. Kikyo immediately turned to gaze upon her lady with abject shock.

"But my lady! Are you sure!?" she asked.

Yuri turned to look at her companion. She gave her a warm smile, which Kikyo couldn't pierce the meaning of. "…yes. I am quite sure."

"Good," replied 'Kurobara' wwearing a light smirk while Sayori gave a small cheer and Yuuto smiled in the background. "Now, grab your partner and follow us. You're coming to our camp. I'll grab the few things you have." And so, Yuri helped a still surprised Kikyo stand up, while 'Kurobara' grabbed the vampire duo's belongings. Meanwhile, Sayori explained to Yuuto and the vampires that she would have to wait until later to heal everyone as she didn't have any more spells ready.

With that, the group headed back to the adventurer's camp led by the fire of Yuuto's magical sword.


	4. Chapter 4 - Identity

Chapter 4 – Identity

The group reached the adventurer's campsite, which was still as the trio of Sayori, Yuuto, and 'Kurobara' left it, with the guidance of their vampiric captives Kikyo and Yuri. Yuuto got the campfire going, and offered to keep watch the rest of the night – not only on their surroundings, but also the two vampires. Their arms were bound behind their back by ropes pulled together tightly by 'Kurobara'. Rather too tightly if you were to ask Kikyo, while Yuri would have just been grateful that the humans took her offer.

"Do you two need to sleep?" asked Yuuto, as Sayori returned to their tent and 'Kurobara' leapt back into a tree.

"Eventually, yes. The blood we drink also keeps us alert. Though perhaps I should rest, as my lady has feasted more recently." Kikyo punctuated that with an accidental yawn. Blushing, she frowned and looked towards Yuri, who smiled at her. She said it would be fine, and so Kikyo went to rest leaning against the same tree 'Kurobara' was sleeping in the branches of.

And so, the rest of the night passed with Yuuto and Yuri chatting in whispers about various topics as the rest of their group slept lightly, each dreaming in their own visionary world.

* * *

Morning came soon enough, and with it 'Kurobara' descended from the trees, carrying along with her the small bag she kept her few possessions in. She hadn't slept too well despite the healing, given the presence of their vampiric companions. Speaking of whom, Kikyo was lightly snoring under the same tree she had been sleeping in, while Yuri was with Yuuto, who was inspecting a knife. It looked like one of the ones the duo had used against her.

The noise from her descending drew their attention and eyes on her. Yuuto's eyes went to her hair first before settling on her face, while Yuri drew up a bright smile and warm gaze. As if she'd fall for that!

She huffed and gave the duo a reprimanding look. "What are you two looking at!?"

Yuri shrunk back, frowning and looking embarrassed, while Yuuto merely laughed it off.

"Good morning to you too!" he replied.

"Uuuuu… g-good morning…" added Yuri.

Yuuto jumped in again. "Whenever you're ready 'Kurobara', I'll wake up Sayori and Kikyo and we can start moving towards the next town. It won't take long. We can decide there if we want to keep together or split up, since that was your destination to begin with." He stopped and paused for a second, looking away, and then back to her. "…Although, I've been wondering something… is 'Kurobara' your actual name? And as for your hair…?"

"I told you before, it's personal!" replied 'Kurobara'. "If I decide to stick around with you all, I'll tell you why I do this. For now, I'm going to go fix my hair and I'll be ready after that. OK? Bye."

And she stomped off in a huff without even waiting for a reply, making a point to 'accidently' bump into Kikyo, who fell over and started waking up with a confused expression on her face.

"Oh dear… I hope Sayori realizes soon what she's gotten us into." He sighed, and left to go wake her up. And Yuri stayed in place, gazing in the direction 'Kurobara' wandered off, lost in thought.

* * *

Sayori herself was not easily awoken, lost in a dream about sweet foods she had never experienced before, yet craved for some reason upon waking up. But Yuuto managed to convince her to get up with the promise of treating her to a meal in town with their quest reward. It was still slow going, but she managed to gain a little bit of energy at that news.

By the time Yuuto and Sayori had everything packed up, 'Kurobara' had returned with the black hair she had when they met her. A sleepy Yuuto and energized Sayori led the full group towards their next destination.

* * *

Like the village they had left, this town was also beset by the vast forest on all sides. But unlike that town, there were clear signs of development and encroachment into nature. One of reflection of this was in the gated wall they had to pass through, having to explain the reason they needed to enter town with two demons in tow, which only happened because Yuri made the mistake at smiling at the guards with her prominent bared fangs. Another reflection of this was in the questor's hall, which was more prominent in its design having elements from a shrine, and also included an inn on the inside. Yuuto couldn't have been more pleased by this, as he got a room for the group, and promptly left to go sleep for a good while.

This left Sayori and 'Kurobara' to claim the reward for the quest, as Sayori and Yuuto had offered to share it with their new friend. But first, they needed to prove to the quest-keeper of this town, an old gray-haired and brown-eyed woman in this case, that they had truly captured the vampires in question. Sayori left 'Kurobara' to handle that while she went to go look at more quests for the group.

There were a few other adventurers huddling over a table covered in opened scrolls, detailing a variety of available quests. Sayori glanced at a few of them: assassination… bodyguard duty… rescuing a cat, that sounded fun and easy… cutting down more trees, really?

Sayori reviewed what she knew so far. 'Kurobara' was in until they found Yuuto's parents, and Yuri and Kikyo would probably stick around for just as long. It was pretty clear they were more interested in her strong friend rather than genuinely wanting to help them. Kikyo had a suggestion to look for things involving angels… but none were listed. The town was on high alert due to demon activity… and the angels and demons fought a long time ago… maybe the two groups still held grudges? If they took an opportunity to investigate demon activity, then maybe they might find more clues?

Sure enough, there was a quest to investigate demon activity in the mountains to the north. Evidently, there had been many rock slides and earthquakes within a certain area, and demons migrating into the villages nearby. In some cases, they could co-exist; in others, there was conflict. The root cause of these incidents was evidently still in need of investigation, though a few adventurers were already on the scene.

Maybe… like Yuuto's parents? thought Sayori to herself. This quest seemed like a perfect match!

Evidently, someone else thought the same, as she reached for the quest at the exact same time as another person with a bandage-wrapped arm. Their hands touched, and Sayori had the sensation of an electric spark running between them. They both drew back and stared at each other in shock, stammering out apologies on reflex.

Sayori glanced at the other person, a woman by the sound of her voice. She was wearing leather armor much like that of 'Kurobara', but it appeared to be thicker and included iron scales in certain places. On some of those iron scales, kanji were inscribed with the names of weapons. She had no exposed skin – not because she was wearing full armor (she wasn't), but because the skin that would have been exposed was fully covered by bandages. She was wearing a red oni mask that obscured her entire face except for her emerald green eyes, and she had brown hair that was cut short, stopping at her neck.

"Excuse me, but… just now, did you also feel that?" she asked Sayori.

Sayori nodded. "Yes… what was that? I've never felt anything like that before…" She glanced at her hand, which didn't look injured at all, but still felt strange. And even stranger was the impression that she had heard this person's voice before, but couldn't piece together how or why.

"Oh… you haven't… aww I hoping that… well, it doesn't matter I guess." The unknown woman then sighed. "If you want this quest, you can take it. You were eyeing it for a while. I can find something else."

"Oh, thank you! But ummm…" Sayori fiddled with her fingers, figuring out how to phrase this next part. "Have we… met before? I get a strange sense when I hear you talk… your voice sounds so familiar."

The woman's eyes lit up in response. "We haven't! But that's great that you recognize me from somewhere! Do you remember where?" Sayori shook her head, but that didn't dim the fire in the woman's eyes. "That's alright! I guess I can tell you this then, since you seem to know me from somewhere: I can't remember my past. I woke up one day in a forest, alone and lost, but was taken in by a wandering samurai. He took me in under his wing, and taught me how to survive and fight. I'm very grateful for his help, and now I've gone off on my own, searching for clues about who I really am and how I ended up here. So!" – and the woman punctuated that with a finger snap – "You recognizing my voice is a great help just by itself!"

Sayori filled in the details. "Because it means we must have met before you lost your memory?" she guessed.

"Yes! …Say, is it okay if I ask your party members if they might know me? And can I come with you for that quest we were both interested in? I'm not asking for too much, am I?"

Sayori was about to answer that of course she could join them and follow up with an introduction, but was interrupted by Yuri shouting out for her help. Evidently, while proving that Yuri and Kikyo were in fact vampires, 'Kurobara' had been convinced to allow Yuri to drink some blood. Predictably, Yuri imbibed herself more than strictly necessary. And so, 'Kurobara' had grown pale and fainted in Yuri's arms, her hair going pink once more.

"Ehehehe… sorry, but I have to take care of this. Follow me?" said Sayori.

The un-introduced woman did so, excited to have a lead for the first time.

* * *

Now that they had a bunch of new party members, Sayori prepared more healing spells than she normally would need for just her and Yuuto. She didn't expect to have to use one so early, but it wasn't a big deal. The magic she drew in and stored for spells was only borrowed; it was drawn in from their surroundings and went back to them upon being used. It was a simple matter to prepare more if needed.

'Kurobara' woke up in a daze, still cradled in Yuri's arms. Only when she noticed that Sayori was in front of her with a glowing staff and remembered why she had fainted did she realize whose arms she was in, and promptly wrench herself free and glare Yuri into an apologetic submission.

"Uuuuu… I-I am so sorry, Miss 'Kurobara'! I have no excuse…"

"You sure don't, Yuri!" interjected the angry pinkette. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you… ugh! Why did I agree to watch over you two again? …don't answer, I know what the reason is." 'Kurobara' sighed. "Look, you can't keep doing this. You need to either feed on someone else or learn some self-control. And I don't want to hear any back talk from you or your lackey. Got it!? You need to start right now!"

Kikyo grumbled angrily at the insults to her lady, and Yuri looked downcast and avoided the eyes of the one she so angered. Nevertheless, the two agreed to the demand. 'Kurobara' smirked, pleased with herself, and then turned her attention back to Sayori and the masked mystery girl who was following her. The masked girl was staring at her curiously, which is when she realized that…

"…My hair turned pink, didn't it?" she asked.

"Yes! Sorry for staring, by the way…"

'Kurobara' sighed. "Tch. Whatever. I'll fix it later. Anyway, who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "I'm glad you asked! I'm Meari, the strong and able! I'm a wandering adventurer as well. I've heard lots of stories about you, Miss 'Kurobara'! Is it true that you singlehandedly defeated 100 oni who were raiding a village? I'd love to hear the whole story!"

'Kurobara' stared at her, confused. "Well, sure… umm… have we met before? I recognize your voice."

Meari's eyes brightened even more when Yuri said the same thing. Kikyo, however, didn't recognize her at all. Once Mary learned more details about Yuri and Kikyo, however, this knowledge seemed incoherent. This doesn't make any sense… but it's the best shot I have! she thought to herself.

The quest-keeper chose this moment to re-appear, bearing a tea kettle with an earthy aroma.

"Dearies, the tea is ready... Oh, Natsuki, dear, don't forget to fix your hair up before you go!"

'Kurobara', or rather Natsuki, shot the quest-keeper a betrayed look while the rest of their group gave her confused looks. "Granny, I told you! My true identity is supposed to be a secret!" she exclaimed.

The quest-keeper frowned. "Oh, sorry, my dear 'Kurobara'. I thought they knew already since you were travelling with them. It's just so good to see you finally getting along with other people your age."

'Kurobara' didn't think 'getting along' was the phrase she would have used but… "…alright, alright, I accept your apology, granny. Please don't do that again though." She turned to the rest of the group. "Like she said, my real name is Natsuki. I don't mind if you call me that in private, but please stick to 'Kurobara' in public. Got it?" When the rest of the group nodded in agreement, she continued. "Thanks. I'm keeping my name secret because… well, I'll tell you all that once Yuuto wakes up, OK? Since I need to stay with you on vampire watch. In the meantime, I need to do something. I'll be back by nightfall."

"Do you not want any tea, dear?" asked the quest-keeper, who had already started serving Sayori a cup.

"No… Okay, maybe later. But this is important." Natsuki started walking away from the group, pulling out an object from her bag and using it to fix her hair back to the appropriate dark shade. She then stopped, turned around, and walked back towards them. More specifically, towards Yuri, who had just been served tea, and was seated at a table along with the quest-keeper, Kikyo, Sayori, and Meari.

"You're coming with me," was all she said to Yuri, promptly dragging her away from the seated group of women. "You can come too if you want," was what she said to Kikyo, who looked deeply offended by the mistreatment of her lady and likely would have followed along in any case.

The rest simply stared at them in silence, until the quest-keeper started laughing. "Hahaha… looks like she hasn't changed. Anyway, you two were interested in a certain quest?" she asked the remaining duo.

* * *

"Miss 'Kurobara', what sort of place is this one over here?"

"That one? That's a blacksmith's hall. You can get metal weapons made there if you want."

"I see… human technology is fascinating to witness."

"Eh? Don't you use knives? You ought to know about this kind of stuff, right?"

"Is that so? Kikyo and the other servants acquired them for me. I had no idea they were made by human hands! May we enter? I would like to watch as these weapons are made."

"Looks empty today…"

Kikyo coughed pointedly, interrupting the conversation between Yuri and Natsuki. It had turned out that this town was where Natsuki was from, and she was on the way to return when she ran into Sayori and Yuuto on that fateful day. Yuri was already curious about Natsuki after the events of the previous night, so naturally she took the opportunity to bombard her with questions as the three of them walked around.

The two were getting friendlier, much to Kikyo's annoyance. She had been walking behind them the whole time, so they turned to face her as she asked Natsuki a question.

"Wasn't the point of this solely to help my lady get used to being around humans?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" was the reply.

"Then do you care to explain why you must be so close?"

She was referring to the fact that the two were walking around arm-in-arm. They had drawn in an occasional stare, but an evil glance from either Kikyo or Natsuki was enough to drive those away. Natsuki had insisted that Yuri do this as they let the quest-hall, much to the vampire's shock and embarrassment. But accept she did, and here they were. And now that Kikyo had brought it up again, Yuri lost her sense of comfort and became flustered once more, a luminescent blush creeping onto her face.

Natsuki answered the other vampire's question. "I told you, this is part of the training too! She needs to get used to being close to people. And it's working too! Despite the fact that I'm right next to her, she hasn't once tried to bite my neck! She hasn't even glanced at it!"

"…" Kikyo wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Her lady was not very sociable even at the best of times, thanks to her upbringing. And being put on the spot like this was a sure to turn her into a stammering and apologetic wreck, which she noticed her lady was reverting back into after having finally started to relax. She understood what Natsuki wanted but… maybe… was there another way? She'd have to think some more and…

…it looked like the now black-haired girl was still waiting for a response. Her lady was too, curiosity fighting to express itself on her face. Kikyo spoke, after a sigh. "I suppose so… but I still don't like it." She turned to Yuri. "My lady, what do you think about this?"

"Uuuuu…" Yuri was fidgeting, playing with her fingers. "I… it's… I don't mind? I think… sorry…"

"See, it's fine!" immediately retorted Natsuki. Kikyo frowned and let it be for now. She would talk with her lady in private later. Hopefully, I can get a more honest answer, she thought. For now… it is how it is.

The trio kept going around town, Yuri and Natsuki arm-in-arm, and Kikyo on Yuri's other side. Yuri (and occasionally Kikyo) would ask questions about the town and its people, and Natsuki would answer as best she could. Eventually, they went past a seemingly ordinary building that emanated a sweet aroma, but that caused Natsuki to flinch at the sight of it and huddle closer into Yuri. Kikyo was too surprised by that reaction to say anything about it, and was more surprised when her lady asked if something was wrong.

Natsuki kept her pained expression pointedly away from both of them, and kept herself out of view of the building they were walking past – a seemingly simple bakery. "…it's nothing. Let's keep going, OK?"

She started walking, dragging Yuri along. Kikyo followed a bit behind, taking a moment to glance in the bakery's one large window where she saw a man ordering others around. A man with faded pink hair.

* * *

The hours passed and so did Yuri eventually gain true relaxation in being so close to a human, the ones who would normally be her prey. Natsuki was under no illusions that this would be permanent, however, and said as much to the purple-haired vampire. They would need to do similar exercises, and also repeat this with the other humans in their party. With some anxiety relieved, Yuri was able to accept those terms.

As for Kikyo, she was satisfied as long as her lady was. It seemed that some good may come out of what she at first thought would be an exercise in futility. And she was now also arm-in-arm with Yuri, at her lady's insistence. Eventually, night called for them for to return to return to the quest-keeper's hall, and so they made their way back.

When the trio made their happy return, they saw another trio deep in a conversation – Yuuto must have awoken some time ago and had joined Sayori and Meari. Empty teacups lay nearby. Sayori was leaning on Yuuto, and the two of them had their backs to the front door, so Meari was the one to notice them. She cheerily waved them over, sensing their good mood, while the other two had more sedated reactions.

"Did it go well?" asked Meari, already knowing the answer. That trio agreed that it did, and joined into the group for chatter that would last deep into the night – about individual pasts and a collective future.


	5. Chapter 5 - On hold

Chapter 5 – On hold…

Decided last night was a plan to head out in the morning for the northern mountains. It would take them at least a few days to each the villages in that area if they marched at full speed with no distractions. This plan was cancelled as soon as Yuuto noticed Sayori's total lack of energy – far worse than normal. He let the healer stay in bed and went around to let the others know they would have a day's delay. The rest of the group had already gathered in the common area of the questor's hall, eating from the selection of breakfast foods prepared by the town's quest-keeper. He joined them to tell them the news, and they took it in with a mix of concern and confusion.

"She looked fine yesterday…" noted Natsuki, who was seated between Yuri and Meari.

"Yes, Yuuto, what exactly is the matter with your woman?" asked Kikyo, seated on Yuri's other side.

She isn't my woman… Yuuto thought. He ignored that part when he answered them. "Some days she can hardly get out of bed, even though she was fine the day before. It usually passes within a day or so, so she just deals with it. She can't heal it away for some reason, so we just have to wait for her to recover."

Meari frowned. "That's pretty unfortunate…"

"Uuuu… is there truly nothing that can be done for Sayori?" asked Yuri.

"Not as far as I know… So now, you have a day to rest or do whatever you please." He then got up to get some food for himself. When he returned and sat between Meari and Kikyo, the group was back into normal, if subdued, chatter. Meari was describing her armor to the group, and how it came to be enchanted so that it could store weapons in its scales. In short, she had rescued a wizard at some time in the past, who had blessed her out of gratitude. As long as she had a physical copy of a weapon, she could draw a representative symbol for it on one of the scales, and it would be absorbed into the armor and summoned later at her command. She had since amassed a decent-sized collection of various weapons.

All of them were visibly impressed, except for Natsuki. Meari couldn't help but notice and asked why.

"Yeah, I mean… it's nice and all, but it's not like your opponent will just let you pick out the weapon you want from your stash. All that weight probably slows you down, too."

To Natsuki's surprise, Meari agreed.

"You're right, Natsuki. I've been adapting my fighting style so I can take on any opponent with any weapon. My biggest weakness is definitely dealing with magic users though, hahaha… I'm not so good at close combat either since I focus so much on weaponry. But… my goal is to surpass all my limits and become the best possible me. So, I just need to keep fighting and getting stronger."

Meari then smirked at Natsuki, turning a bit towards her. "Speaking of close combat, that's your specialty, right? Mind teaching me a few things since we have some time to spare?"

"…" Natsuki thought about it for a second. She hadn't really had a good fight yet since joining Sayori and Yuuto – the two she had been in were pretty one-sided. A nice spar could be fun. "…sure, why not."

Meari looked like she could have leapt out of her seat at any moment. "Yay~! Thanks so much!"

In the meantime, Yuuto decided to go check their supplies and then run into town if they needed anything. Kikyo decided to join him, leaving Yuri behind with Meari and Natsuki. Perhaps with this show of trust, the two vampires would be allowed more freedom of movement in the future, she thought as they left. And perhaps eventually to a way out of their predicament…

* * *

"I'm surprised you would leave her behind."

"Hmmm? What do you mean?"

"Well… you and Yuri are pretty attached to each other, so…"

Kikyo chuckled as the two of them kept walking down a dirt path. Yuuto had checked on Sayori (still too down to go anywhere) and then on their gear. The tent itself was fine, and neither sword nor staff were in need of serious repair. Between the two of them, only he wore armor (despite his insistence that she do the same) but they had not been in enough serious combat for any concerns there. So, all that were left were small things here and there – most notably, cloth for bandages and rope for their captives.

"Couldn't I say the same thing with you and Sayori, Yuuto?"

"…Got me there."

She smirked at him, baring fangs. "Surely, you're not suggesting I that should've been left alone with a defenseless human? She would be easy prey, you know? Maybe she'd even offer up her blood to me…"

He glared at her. "Hey. Quit it. Don't forget you're our captive. You and Yuri."

"Hmhmhm… I have to wonder who's really the captivated ones here… but that's neither here or there. Besides… my lady is the reason I still cling to this life that would have been taken from me. Naturally, I would support her in her efforts, even if it is for something to foolish as befriending some humans."

"I see…"

There was a slight pause in the conversation, the silence being filled by their footsteps and the chatter from nearby strangers in their own worlds, thoughts, and moods. After a moment, Yuuto spoke up.

"I guess… it's the same for me and Sayori. But, I'm not sure what to do for her…"

"Hmmm…" Kikyo thought about it for a moment. "Well, I don't know either. Nothing has worked?"

Yuuto nodded.

"Maybe this is something you can't solve on your own, then. You'll have to work together."

"Ah…"

That might be true, but… how could they do that when he felt that Sayori had already given up?

"Yuuto?"

"…it's nothing… but thanks, I guess."

"Whatever. I'm just doing this…"

"…at the behest of your lady, I know, I know. Anyway, we're here. Let's hurry so I can get back sooner."

"Fine by me~," she said as they walked into the general store.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuri was accompanying Meari and Natsuki as they looked for a decent enough clearing to spar in. The two were trading stories about various battles survived and victories achieved, while Yuri was silently occupying a place by Natsuki's side. Much like yesterday, she was drawing stares from passersby, but unlike then Natsuki didn't have the awareness to scare them off and Kikyo was absent. She felt herself shrinking under their gazes and eventually took hold of Natsuki's arm to calm herself down.

Said girl drew her in so that they were arm-in-arm without saying a word.

The town was large enough to contain several green spaces – most of them were community gardens, but a few were wooded parks or grassy terrains. The trio found a clearing in one of these wooded areas and secluded themselves there, Yuri seated with her back to a nearby tree and the other two warming up.

"You sure you want to have that armor on while we fight?" asked Natsuki. She had been in her usual black-haired and leather-armored get-up, and Meari was also fully equipped as she had been yesterday.

Meari nodded while stretching. She answered. "If I don't, it won't be realistic, hahaha~."

"Suit yourself."

"And don't go easy on me either!"

Natsuki stared at the other woman, and even Yuri was giving her an odd look. "…are you sure? You've heard about the kind of stuff I can do, right? Our healer is down for the day too."

Meari insisted on her demand with a mix of excitement and hostility. "I know! But I need to be prepared for anything, so don't hold back! …If it makes you feel better, this armor is enchanted for easy repair."

Natsuki shrugged. "Alright, brace yourself then."

"Brace myself for-"

Meari was about to ask for what, but was cut off when Natsuki answered by just showing her. The pinkette took a deep breath, went into a fighting stance, and released a breath filled with power and forceful intent. At the same time, she gave off a burst of aura that translated into a powerful gust of wind, almost knocking Meari off her feet and shoving her back a foot or so from where she stood. She flailed a bit to regain her balance and composure as Natsuki chuckled at her.

"You ready?" she asked.

Not one to be intimidated, Meari gave an enthusiastic yes and mirrored Natsuki's stance as they faced each other. For a few moments, neither moved, each gauging the other once and looking for openings.

Meari moved first, lunging at Natsuki.

Natsuki stayed in place, easily evading and redirecting Meari's punches. Meari feinted once with a punch, going for a kick instead, forcing Natsuki to finally block an attack. The weight of the blow forced her back a bit, but she took no true damage. Meari followed up with another kick, but Natsuki evaded and went in for a counter-attack, forcing Meari to quickly fling herself out of the way.

Natsuki pressed her attack from there, hounding Meari with a flurry of punches and kicks. The masked girl was forced to stay evasive, only blocking to re-direct attacks and attempt to gain some advantage.

But it seemed there was none to be found with Natsuki wearing down her defenses.

Natsuki kept pressing in and in, giving Meari no room to breathe, keeping her on her toes, forcing her to react to each slight movement – whether a true blow or feint – and requiring precise evasion. Eventually though, Meari slipped up, and Natsuki landed a solid punch with her right hand into Meari's abdomen.

The blow itself was light and fast, but its pressure was immense – Meari was forced off balance, stunned, eyes wide, vision blurry – she couldn't react to Natsuki's follow up, one with the left fist into her jaw. She staggered, tumbled, and fell over, hands covering her face as her mask went flying off towards Yuri. The vampire went to pick it up, while Natsuki went to Meari's side. The girl was rolling around in the grass, moaning in pain, but also keeping her face hidden from view and refusing to let the two see it.

"Uuuuuuu… your mask is here, Miss Meari… will you be well?" asked Yuri, holding out the mask.

"Ugh… yeah, yeah, I… guess I should have taken you more seriously, hahaha… owww…" Meari was now lying still, her front oriented towards the sky, so they could clearly see the fractured points in the iron scales embedded in her armor. But they could also see the scales glimmering with silver lights, and the metal flowing slowly back towards the intended original shapes. Meanwhile, she was still covering her face with her hands, so that only her eyes were visible. "…Do you mind looking away?" she asked.

Before Natsuki could demand an explanation, Yuri agreed to Meari's request and put the mask down near the prone fighter. Natsuki was then forced into going along with it, even though she was curious as to…

"Say, why do you wear that mask?" Natsuki asked. "And I noticed you didn't eat with the rest of us…"

"Yes, and I recall that she did not have any empty teacups in front of her last night when we arrived…" The vampire's curiosity piqued, she had to force herself not to turn around and look, as she could her Meari putting her mask back on. She then grew bashful. "…it is fine if you do not wish to answer…"

Meari chuckled. "It's fine. My face is… well, whatever happened to erase my memories also did something strange to my body. I have to stay in this disguise in order to fit in, but I also don't have to eat or drink. So, I guess it has its good and bad parts, hahaha~! Anyway, my mask is back on now."

The two turned to look at her and saw that it was true. She was rubbing her jaw as it still stung, but the armor looked as if it was totally undamaged and there was still a will to keep fighting in her eyes. From one of her iron scales, she summoned forth a long spear into her hands, and pointed it at Natsuki.

"Now then… how about I show you how I really fight?"

Natsuki smirked and got back into a fighting stance while Yuri retreated back to her tree. The two fought for a while, and evidently dragged in a hesitant Yuri as well once they decided to team her with Natsuki.

* * *

The hours passed. Yuuto and Kikyo returned to the quest-keeper's hall first, and he left her to wait with the quest-keeper while he went to put away the group's new supplies and check up on Sayori. He gently opened the door, and found her standing in front of the window, staring off into the distant horizon. She turned her head a little bit to see who it was, and didn't react much when she saw it was him. She only gave him a soft "Hey~" and went back to staring off into the sky. He sent down the stuff and went to her.

"Sayori…"

She gave him what she hoped was a look of encouragement, but was nothing of the sort. "Oh, don't mind me… I'm having one of my moods, hahaha~…" When he didn't respond and stood next to her, she chose to change the subject rather than engage. "What did you all do today?"

"Kikyo and I went off to gather supplies. Meari and Natsuki went to spar. I think Yuri joined them."

"Really? I thought those two were inseparable?" She had a thoughtful look on her face as she asked that. Yuuto was going to answer normally, but then he remembered what Kikyo had said earlier and laughed instead. When she pouted and demanded an explanation, she laughed harder and eventually managed to settle down enough to give her one – that Kikyo had said just the same about the two of them.

"Oh." She blinked. "Yeah, that is true isn't it…" She looked off into the distance again.

Yuuto playfully nudged her arm. She turned to face him and he smiled at her. "It is. After all, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into without me around?"

That finally got a half-smile and a light chuckle out of her. "I think you'd be the one getting into trouble~!" She stuck her tongue out at him, and the two laughed it off, his only a bit louder. He'd take this for now, he thought. The more serious discussions could come with a better mood on another day.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sayori's stomach growling.

He laughed even harder while an embarrassed Sayori fumed, and demanded that he feed her. The two left for the common area and joined the rest of the group, who had just arrived and began settling down. Now that the full group was here, they made plans for the next few days of travel over their shared supper.


	6. Chapter 6 - Hold on

Chapter 6 – …hold on.

Sayori woke up in the morning with much more energy than she had the day before, her aura much closer to the cheerful vibe she wished she could always appear to have. Better that way so as to avoid suspicion from a certain someone. The bad days were difficult enough without him imposing his care upon her.

After a short breakfast, the group gathered their belongings and departed for the mountains. Most of the travel was peaceful, but along the way a certain incident of note occurred involving the sorrowful Sayori.

* * *

It happened within a certain village where they had taken temporary residence near the mountains they were aiming for. This village was one where humans and demons had already been co-existing for some time, meaning that Yuri and Kikyo were not considered objects of fascination… they were simply normal and natural. Sayori had fallen into another low energy state, and so the group spent a total of two full days in the village – one planned, one unplanned. Yuuto went to sleep that night excited to keep pressing forward, expecting Sayori to recover just as well as she always had.

He awoke the next morning with a yawn, sat up to stretch, turned to see if Sayori was still asleep, and noticed a dark and heavy cloud obscuring her from view.

Yuuto jolted up in a panic. What… what is this!? he thought to himself. I've never seen anything like it! In the plain clothes in which he slept, he approached the cloud of shimmering shadows. He was soon close enough to touch it. He gently reached out towards it, and it reacted by erupting out a flare of black smoke. Startled, Yuuto fell over, barely dodging it… which was good for him, as the sections of the wooden walls that the flare struck started to rot and decay. He shuddered when he saw the damage.

A distorted voice then rung out. "Oh? You're already awake. Has it been so long already…?"

Yuuto turned back to the cloud and saw that a thin and horned pale figure had emerged from it. The creature had three eyes – two fully black and one fully white – and was staring directly at Yuuto in an unflinching manner. It had one normal arm with a claw at the end while the other was merged with a bat-like wing. It had no feet, its short legs instead merging with the cloud surrounding Sayori.

Yuuto blinked. What was this thing? It must be a demon, right? But why was it here?

The creature smirked at Yuuto and barked out a short laugh. "It matters not, I suppose. You would not have made as fine a meal as this girl has; your suffering is not nearly so great. I shall be done shortly, so be still and patient." The smoky cloud shimmered slightly, glowing silver with magic.

That magic… could it be? Yuuto was more in tune with natural magic than Sayori. He tried to focus on those traces of magic to try and decipher them. They felt… they felt… just like Sayori. Bittersweet.

No.

He wouldn't stand for this.

Rather than using a sword as the conduit, he directly channeled some magic through his body and summoned forth a ball of fire in his left hand. The creature stared at him with curiosity and intent, and thus barely dodged the attack that he launched at it. Yuuto was glad to know that it felt the need to dodge, meaning it was vulnerable to his attacks. He used the distraction to grab his short sword, set it ablaze with magical fire, and swung it at the creature. It dodged; he swung again. This continued until it retreated back into the cloud from whence it came. But he could not get near the noxious smoke coming off of it.

Yuuto waited. And waited. And waited.

He sighed.

Well, what could he do now? Set the cloud on fire? He had no idea what that might do to Sayori… and also he didn't want to burn the inn down. At an impasse, he left to alert the others about what happened.

* * *

Gathered together, the group was no more effective the group than Yuuto alone. Vampires could not use magic, and the cloud was more than immune to normal weapons. Yuri poked it with one of her throwing knives; the tip of the knife came back out corroded. Natsuki's skillset was equally ineffective; she tried powering up to generate a strong aura and either scare away or blow away the cloud, but it cared not. Meari, rather than following along, offered up a suggestion: find a different sorcerer to help them out.

"Whatever this thing is, it's vulnerable only to magical efforts. But none of us know what to do about this, so we just need to find someone who does. Maybe we can make it a quest for someone, hahaha~!"

Yuuto didn't find it funny but acknowledged her point. He stayed behind to make sure nothing happened with the strange cloud while the rest went to tell the local quest-keeper what had happened.

* * *

Due to the prolonged co-existence of humans and demons within this village, it was experiencing growth and development despite its remote location within the mountainous region. Its proximity to several important resources like metal ores and freshwater springs likely aided with that, along with decent enough land for living upon. It was not walled off – could not have been with its geography – and it seemed to meld into the stone, soil, and stark cliff faces. The inn they were staying at was at the base of one of these cliffs, being in a more easily accessible region of the village. To reach the questor's hall, the group of Meari, Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo took the fast route of climbing up a rocky wall, and then taking a short walk into the core of the village. Meari rushed ahead, while a sluggish Yuri needed to drink some of Natsuki's blood after the climb, slowing down the other three. They found her waiting for them outside the questor's hall, a building carved into the stones. It could also take in visitors, but they had chosen to stay at another location under the impression that they would leave soon after arriving.

Yet two days later, here they were.

Meari noted that Natsuki looked a little pale, but her hair was still in disguise. She chuckled to herself. Someone must have needed some fresh blood again, hahaha~. It looked like she was getting better at restraining herself too. That was a good sign.

They entered the building.

The entrance chamber was carved wholly out of rock, with walls and a floor that were carved into smooth surfaces. The furniture was a mix of native stone sculptures and imported wooden and ceramic goods. A few adventurers in various hues and outfits were idling about, drinking tea and exchanging stories, while others were searching for quests or departing with other destinations in mind. With a bit of searching, the group found the quest-keepers of this village among those drinking tea – they were two dark-skinned young men – and explained their plight to them, looking for suggestions.

"This creature sounds like a shetani," said the one with one green eye and one brown eye.

"They haunt people and eat their nightmares," said the one with one brown eye and one green eye.

"Normally, they come in the dead of night and leave before morning. Why would one stay longer?"

"Perhaps… well, who knows. They come and go as they please in reality."

"But this is quite troublesome. Our good relations with the demons will be hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… we will help you find a skilled magician, whether human or demon."

The two asked their tea-drinking companions for suggestions, and between that group many magicians were known but none who could exorcise a spiritual being, heal a body, and were present in town. They offered to set-up a quest for finding someone, but had no idea how long it would take to find that person.

"Sorry, but… that won't work for us. This is urgent!" stated Meari.

"Uuuuuu… what path should we take to recover the slumbering Sayori now?" pondered Yuri out loud.

A new voice spoke up in response.

"Excuse me, but… I couldn't help but overhear… are you friends with my brother and Sayori?"

The group turned to face the source of the voice and saw… someone who was almost the spitting image of Yuuto. This girl had the same red eyes, and the two were about the same height and build. The main difference was that she wore plain brown mage robes and carried around an oak staff about as tall as her.

Natsuki blinked. "Yeah… who are you?"

The girl bowed to the group in greeting. "I'm Yuuko! It's nice to meet you all! You must be 'Kurobara', and you in the mask must be Meari. Hehehe, don't look so surprised that I've heard of you! You're both pretty well known. Oh, but excuse me! I don't seem to recognize your two other party members…?"

Yuri and Kikyo returned the greeting bow and introduced themselves as the vampiric captives that they were. The group then explained what was going on with Sayori and the creature they now knew as the shetani. Yuuko nodded along as they talked, apparently thinking it over. She then spoke: "Ah, I got it! The shetani live a cursed life and are forced to feed on the suffering of others. So, with Sayori's low moods, she probably looks just like a feast to them… yes, you'll have to leave as soon as you can, or this will just happen again. And I can help you~! Now then, let's go, shall we!"

The group, now led by Yuuko, departed to return to the inn. When they returned, they found both Yuuto and the shetani looking over an unconscious Sayori. Yuuto was speaking. "…not sure- oh, you're ba-"

He cut himself off when he saw his sister. He immediately rushed over and gave her a big hug, which she reciprocated. It had been a long time since they had last seen each other, after all.

"How have you been? Are our parents fine?" he asked.

Yuuko looked at Yuuto with confusion plain on her face. "…yes? We're all fine… We've been sending you messages. Have you not been getting them?"

Yuuto shook his head, looking just as confused.

Yuuko frowned. "…oh dear… looks like things are worse than we thought." She sighed. "There's a lot I need to explain to you two, but first, let's heal our friend, shall we? What's the issue now?"

Yuuto explained what had transpired since the girls had left, with commentary added by the shetani when appropriate. Yuuto had convinced the creature to talk after promising not to attack it. The shetani had explained that it could only feed on human nightmares, and found Sayori by chance. They had left their window open and unguarded, so it entered and started feeding. Around that same time, it had finished, and released itself from Sayori, the dark cloud dispersing and traces of magic that were lingering in it returning to the still Sayori. She looked noticeably paler but appeared otherwise uninjured. The shetani then attempted to draw something out of Sayori – the slumber-inducing spell it put her under.

But nothing had happened.

Yuuko looked thoughtful. "Hmmmm… I see. Yes, there is something deeper going on, within Sayori's mind. So then, it looks like we should deeply delve into her mind." She turned to the curious-looking shetani. "With your power and mine combined, we can link minds together." She turned back to Yuuto with determination. "Which means the two of us can go and figure out what's going on!"

She addressed the rest of the group. "This should only take a few minutes from your perspective. You can wait here if you don't mind."

Meari, Natsuki, and Yuri agreed, but Kikyo was curious and wanted to join in the experience as well. While Yuuto and Yuuko were thinking it over, Yuri admitted that she felt the same way. Then Natsuki asked if she could join in too. Meari agreed to stay behind and keep watch while the vampires and the other humans dived into the sleeping Sayori's mind.

Yuuko had the five of them sit in a circle near Sayori and combined her magical power with that of the shetani to send them to sleep and into Sayori's dream. Meari watched as those five fell asleep, and a thin white mist covered the space where they were sitting. She felt an energy connection open between them and the slumbering Sayori.

Now, it was hopefully just a matter of time.

I'm a little curious too but… I don't mind staying out here and waiting for them. I'll just ask what happened. Besides, thought Meari to herself, I wanted to ask this shetani demon a few things anyway…

* * *

The quintet found themselves in a setting that was at once both fundamentally alien and hauntingly familiar to all but Kikyo. They were on a pathway paved with an unknown material that looked like black stone, surrounded by houses with an aesthetic they couldn't place, each fenced in and beset by greenery. In the whispering wind, they heard soft sobbing and followed it towards one of the houses. Yuuto gently opened the door, and they found in it an odd large room containing a vast lake. The sobbing seemed like it was coming from down in the murky depths. Yuuko stuck a finger into the water to taste it.

Salty. Like tears.

The siblings stripped down to plain pants and shirt and dived into the deep water, while the other three waited and looked around the room. It looked like a bedroom, but they recognized the things within it only superficially. There was a soft bed with softer covers, several fake animals that they assumed were meant to be cutesy rather than realistic, many bundles of rope, and other random things scattered about.

Yuri picked up one of the fake animals – a cat. It was fluffy and soft. She and Natsuki fawned over the cute things while Kikyo kept looking around, eventually finding her way to a shut closet. She forced open the door, and promptly screamed and fell over in horrified shock. Contained within the closet were illusions of hung corpses of Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and a girl none of them knew. Kikyo shut the door, and opened it again. It was now a normal closet full of old and worn clothes and random discarded objects. Close and open again – still no sign of the dead. They moved away from it and back towards the lake.

No sign of Yuuto and Yuuko yet.

The two were diving deeper and deeper into the darker and darker waters. There were no signs of life, only an apprehension of something that lay at the bottom and whispering voice rippling in the waters. One's sobbing sounded like Sayori's. The other's pleading resembled Meari's but was different in some way that was hard to describe. The voices came from everywhere and were not a guide – their intuition was. It was only when they dove so deep that Yuuko needed to make a light for them that they saw her.

An unconscious and wounded Sayori, with a rope around her neck, anchored to the bottom.

Yuuto pulled out a knife from his pocket and went to work on the rope. There were many hissing things lurking in nearby shadows that Yuuko kept away with her light. They tried to bite Yuuto as he worked but the two of them were able to keep them at bay long enough to free Sayori and flee to the surface. They dragged her body and themselves out of the water just in time for those beings to crowd the water's surface. They had various shapes distorted from those stuffed animals residing in Sayori's mind and rows upon rows of crowded teeth. Some of them had already taken bites out of Sayori, displaying bloody grins.

Yuuto growled, and retrieved and ignited his sword. Yuuko similarly went for her staff. Natsuki flared up her fighting aura. Yuri pulled out some of her knives. Kikyo had no weapon of her own, but kept nearby.

The ravenous mass of shadowy creatures launched themselves from the water in attack.

* * *

Suddenly, there were voices.

"…working?"

"I think… …coming to."

They're so familiar.

"…time. We…"

"Can you…"

Why are they here?

"Sayori!"

She opened her eyes.

Sayori was laying on the shore of a vast lake, surrounded by five people, old friends and new ones. Yuuko and Yuuto were kneeling over her; Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo were standing behind them. She looked around. These were the same surroundings she saw in her dream last night… how strange. She sat up and Yuuto embraced her in a tight hug, singing gratitude over her recovery and praises to his sister. Yuuko breathed a sigh of relief and put her staff away, its silver glowing light starting to fade.

"…what happened?"

She remembering falling asleep, a dream that started off normal and collapsed into darkness, and then nothing after that.

The group of five took turns explaining what happened while Sayori healed them. Evidently, they had entered into her mind in order to rescue her after she didn't wake up normally. This meant she was still in that dream where the thoughts she normally tried to banish had arose in full force and overwhelmed her. They found the setting as hauntingly familiar as she did, except for this dark lake. They pulled her out of the lake and fought off a calamity of shadows, including one that resembled her in vivid monochrome.

"Ah!" Sayori exclaimed. "Her! She was the one who dragged me to the bottom!"

"She was quite formidable in battle, unlike you who couldn't harm a fly," Kikyo pointed out.

"Yeah! She's such a meanie!"

Yuuto then realized something. "…Sayori, have you been having this problem for a while?"

She froze up. Her face grew red, and she tried very hard not to look at anyone while keeping silent.

Yuuto frowned. "Sayori."

He tried to look directly at her, but she kept evading his gaze. "Answer me."

He then gave up, sat down beside her, and sighed. "Please…"

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Yuuto… Please don't make me say it. Not now, not here."

"Then when!?" he exclaimed. He then apologized when he realized Sayori flinched.

"Can't things just stay the same between us? I never wanted you to find out about this…"

"So I should just let you suffer? I can't accept that, Sayori. You should know that already…"

Sayori hesitated before speaking again. "…Not now. Not here. Please." She then fell silent.

Yuuto did the same. He'd have to try again later.

It began raining. Despite the fact that they were inside, and the ceiling wasn't high enough to allow for clouds. The water seeped through the cracks, cascading down in streams like tears. Tears so familiar…

In the whispering wind, Yuuto swore he could have heard a haunting voice begging him to stand by her.

As if he wouldn't have done that on his own!

Yuuto helped Sayori to stand. The group drew in close as Yuuko brought forth her staff and cast a spell on Sayori, removing the curse of slumber upon her. Her rest broken, the world around them dissolved.

* * *

Meari and the shetani cut their conversation short once they noticed the thin mist start to dissipate. Similarly, color returned to Sayori's still body. A black dust with magic power came out of her body and returned to the demon. So then, the spell on her was broken and she could now be awoken.

Meari stepped around the five on the ground towards Sayori's bed. She then started shaking the girl and calling out for her to awaken. This Sayori did slowly, getting up with hesitation, effort, and care.

"M… oh, it's Meari… why weren't you with the others?" Sayori asked.

While the others started to wake up as well, Meari sat on the floor and explained that she wanted to stay behind and talk with the demon that had put Sayori under its spell. She was curious. Why target Sayori? How come it wanted to stick around? What did it see beneath the surface of Sayori's subconscious?

Sayori scooted away from the demon. It cared not, and departed now that it had no reason to stay, saying only the briefest of farewells. Only Meari bid it farewell in return. She then turned back to Sayori.

"Sayori… just now, you wanted to call me something other than Meari, didn't you?"

She blinked, and then nodded. "But how did you…?"

"As I said, while you were all asleep, I was conversing with the shetani. It bears witness to all the dreams and nightmares that it eats. So, I asked it what it saw in what it consumed from you."

Sayori flinched. "Oh… you did… ehehehe~, well there wasn't anything interesting in there, right?"

No one was convinced. They had all either seen the darkness or heard about it. Both Yuuto and Yuuko got up from the floor and sat on either side of Sayori, sandwiching her between them and supporting her. She sighed and slumped into Yuuto's side, but would speak nothing of what was on the inside.

Meari nodded. "Very well. Then I'll just say this: I think you recognize my voice not because you've met me before, but because you've met another me. A doppelganger or a changeling, perhaps. And then it cursed me so that I became like this…" She looked down at her own hands, hidden from view by bandages. She then started unwrapping one of them so that they could see what had happened to her.

There was nothing beneath the wrappings. Her body except for her eyes and hair could not be seen.

The rest of the group stared in shock as Meari wrapped herself back up and went on: "…I may have omitted some details about my background. Don't hold it against me, okay~? People thought I was a ghost, an evil spirit, an illusion… I even had started to doubt my own reality. Until I was taken in by that samurai. Even he thought I was a ghost at first, hahaha~… I was able to convince him otherwise, and he agreed to help me, but we never could find anything about who I really am."

She nodded to herself. "I think I know why now. There was nothing to find among other people."

Yuri fidgeted with her fingers. "Uuuuu… changelings and doppelgangers… can they truly do such strange things? Perhaps this is why Father always warned me to avoid such dangerous fae creatures."

"Indeed, my lady," added Kikyo, "your curiosity would make you a prime target. They are not truly evil, but each one follows its own will and would commit any act to aid its cause. I couldn't tell you why one of those creatures would do that to a random human like you, but it certainly is possible."

Yuri fumed in embarrassment while Meari thanked Kikyo for her perspective. She then stood up.

"Alright then! I've decided. I need to go investigate fae activity, so I need to go off on my own for a bit. After all, now that Yuuto's sister is here, you're all going to go see their parents, right? That was your goal if I'm remembering right."

The two siblings that it was so.

Before they could start offering to help investigate, Meari interjected: "So you need to go be with them first. Don't worry, I'm sure our paths will cross again, especially if they're also investigating these strange events… I also asked the shetani about the angel and demon activity. If that demon is to be believed, the angels are after some amazing power. The kind of power that attracts demons and fae too. Hopefully, the one responsible for this is among them… and I can bring it to justice! So then, farewell!"

Meari then marched out of the room as the rest all said farewell to her.

After being convinced that Sayori would be fine, Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo also departed. She still needed to recover so they had the day off to so as they pleased. They would leave the next morning, for sure.

Sayori promised them so.


	7. Chapter 7 - Planned and Perchance

Chapter 7 – The Planned and the Perchance

Sure enough, the morning came and brought with it actual rest for Sayori. The meddlesome spectre in the darkest pits of her mind had elected not to bother her that night. She put on her illusionary happy face, and hoped it would become permanent. Maybe one day…

Unusually for her, she was the first to awake. Her roommates, Yuuto and Yuuko, were still asleep.

She gathered her belongings and went for a walk, leaving a note behind explaining her absence. She spent some time wandering around. Few were awake at this hour, and most of them were demons. The shetani encountered yesterday was nowhere to be found, thankfully. She had no idea what she would have said to it anyway…

Nearby, she could hear running water, and gravitated towards it. She could see many demons and a few humans gathering water or fishing at the shore of a large river. In the distance, there was a flash of purple hair. Was that her vampire friend? What was she doing over here?

She wandered close to were she saw it, listening in to what she could hear. And she found…

"The water here is significantly more refreshing than most we have had before, right Miss Kikyo?"

"Indeed, my lady. It's quite good."

"Hah! …yeah, it's nice… Hah! …as happy as I am… Hah! …that Sayori's fine now… Hah! …I'll miss this… Hah!"

…the trio of Yuri, Kikyo, and Natsuki conversing. Sayori hid behind a tree as she kept listening in. Natsuki was doing exercises on the shore, wearing a plain shirt and pants. Yuri was sitting by the water while in a cream-colored yukata with floral designs of purple lilies. Kikyo was in similar dress attire with designs of bellflowers instead, and was washing the brown cloaks of the duo, as well as Natsuki's armor.

"Uuuuuu… but, can we not return here? We would not mind it, right Miss Kikyo?"

"I suppose not. I'd prefer to be away from these accursed humans, but I shall follow my lady's request."

Yuri frowned at Kikyo. She stood up and marched over to her partner.

"Miss Kikyo, I will not force you to follow my every whim! In fact, I want to know what you want in our journey and what you think about things! So tell me! …i-if you want to, of course…" For brief moment Yuri was asserting herself and her true desires, but then reverted back to her meek nature. She flushed in embarrassment and started fiddling with her fingers. "Uuuu… I would like it if you said something, please…"

Kikyo chuckled. "Of course, my lady! This place is fine enough, but there's another settlement nearby that's primarily a residence for demons like us. Humans are only welcome if they have the proper respect. Meaning, I have no idea if our dear friend over here would be welcome, hehehe~."

Natsuki glared at Kikyo. She was done with her routine for now and was also getting some water from the river. "Hey, watch it. You're lucky I'm such a lenient guard over you two, you know."

"Oh, but I think we have someone else to thank for that. Speaking of which, should we invite her over?"

Natsuki shrugged. "May as well."

Before Yuri could ask what they meant, Natsuki flung herself across the river and landed not far from Sayori, who fell over in shock. "Wha!? How did you-!?"

"You're not hiding your presence at all," Natsuki replied with a chuckle. "Now come on over here!" She easily picked up Sayori and cleared the jump back, putting Sayori down by the shore next to Yuri.

"Good morning, Sayori. Are you well?" asked the purple-haired vampire.

"Yes… I'm feeling a lot better…" she said as she leaned on Yuri, her head resting on the vampire's shoulder. She sighed. "I just… I didn't want any of you to see what you saw yesterday… I don't suppose you could just forget all of that, could you? I can handle things on my own. I have been so far. That was my only slip up, but I don't think it'll happen again. I won't be a burden to everyone again."

She was saying that just as much to convince herself as to convince them, and Natsuki could tell. "Hmph. I guess if you really want to, I won't stop you. But I'm not gonna forget any of that weird stuff running around in your mind…."

"Uuuuuu… Miss Natsuki, it is quite rude to call the contents of other people's dreamscapes weird…"

"Oh, relax, I don't mean anything bad by it. I mean, come on, aren't you the least bit curious about why she had a nightmare about me, you, herself, and some random girl being hung?"

Sayori visibly flinched at the mention of a hanging.

"…shouldn't have brought that up, huh? Sorry…"

"It's fine…" Sayori muttered softly. She then started chuckling awkwardly. "I mean, everyone has bad dreams where they kill themselves right? Tormented by the dark thoughts living in the darkest corners of their own mind until they can't think of another way to get them to just stop then to-"

She was interrupted by Yuri drawing her into a tight hug. Even more surprising was Natsuki putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. But she couldn't cry, not here, not now. She took a deep breath and changed the subject a bit. "Did you… happen to recognize that fourth girl?"

The three other girls did not.

"Oh… okay. Her name is Monika. I have dreams and nightmares about her sometimes. Sometimes she's my best friend, other times she's my worst enemy. But I've never met anyone with that name…"

"So, that's who you confused Meari with?" asked Kikyo.

"Yeah… they sound so similar. Maybe she's the doppel-thingy?"

"Perhaps. They steal the identities of others. I've never seen one myself, but have heard all sorts of tales from the time when I was a human. They are said to come from nowhere, and have no other choice but to live as they do, lest they disappear back into that same nothingness. And the ones they curse then take on that fate to vanish with only one way to escape it – destroying the doppelganger with their own hands."

She pulled out Natsuki's armor and laid it next to the vampire's folded cloaks.

"Meari looks like she is strong enough to succeed. The question is, can she find this 'Monika'?" She stood up, handed Natsuki her armor, and then picked up her and her lady's cloaks. "Now then, I believe we were promised a departure? You do still wish to talk to Yuuto's parents, yes?"

"Ah, right!" Sayori exclaimed. This wasn't the time to mope, even if she wanted to! Yuri let her go, and the four of them wandered back to the inn, where they found Yuuto and Yuuko waiting for them and drinking tea. Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo acquired the rest of their meager belongings, and they departed.

* * *

In the next few days of traveling in mountain ranges and elevated forests, Yuuko explained the situation.

There was tension between the angels and the various demon clans and human settlements. Evidently, shards of a mysterious and powerful gemstone had started appearing in the mountains some time ago. The angels, bitter after their failed conquest of all the land so long ago, were seeking to collect them and use the power contained within them for their own ends. Because of their power, various demons, fae, and humans were also seeking them, but they were not united.

At least, not until their parents arrived on the scene and started organizing people.

There was now a united front seeking to keep the shards out of the hands of the angels, but their success had been limited. The angels always moved in pairs and were too strong for most to repel even a single one. Those angels were the same ones driving demons out of their lands and into human settlements.

Their united front had been sending letters for some time to Yuuto and Sayori in attempts to get them to help out in this task. But it seemed like they had been intercepted. Now that she thought about it, that would explain how the angels were able to track them down so easily. They had been chased down into this region, where trees and caves could give them shelter, and had been forced to split up.

She had volunteered to head down south and try to find her brother and friend. Their mother – Anko – and a small group of demons was hiding in a cave system she was leading them towards. Their father – Daifuku – was elsewhere in the mountain range, searching for the hidden Angel's base of operations. He was moving with a much larger coalition of mixed demon, fae, and human character.

"I wonder if Meari will run into him…" wondered Yuuto aloud.

"Hmmm…" pondered Yuuko. "I wouldn't be surprised…"

"I hope he's alright…" wished Sayori.

"He'll be fine; he's strong!" confidently stated Natsuki.

"Uuuu… I wish to rest… sorry…" said Yuri, as she headed for a nearby tree.

"Ah, my lady, allow me to assist you!" exclaimed Kikyo, rushing to Yuri's aid.

The ground stopped their motion. They were walking through a wooded area, and Yuri sat down at the foot of one of the many trees. Based on the position of the sun, it was midday. A perfectly acceptable time for a break in any case, though Yuuko claimed they were not too far from where they wanted to be. Most of the group also took a moment to rest.

Except for the black-haired 'Kurobara', the disguised Natsuki.

"I sense something up ahead…" she noted.

"I don't… oh!" Yuuko perked up. Yuuto and Kikyo felt it too once they started looking for it. A nearby presence. Perhaps several? It didn't feel particularly hostile but also wasn't bothering to hide at all.

"Maybe it's some of our allies?" she pondered. "Or maybe not? I can't tell from here."

"I'm gonna go check it out!" Natsuki exclaimed, already heading that way. "You all stay here!" She didn't wait for anyone to join her, not expecting or wanting any help. Fighting with others was fine; but fighting on her own, testing her skills, surpassing her limits… that was what she craved.

What had been missing ever since she joined this adventuring party. (Nothing against them, though!)

As she went along, she could clearly sense that they were dealing with multiple beings, not one. Once she got a certain distance away from them, they started diminishing their presence and hiding amongst the rocks. Whoever these beings are, they must be quite skilled to hide themselves like this, she thought to herself. I can't even sense them properly now… I'll have to stay on guard!

She diminished her own presence and skulked between the trees. It was unlike her to not dive in headfirst, but now she had others waiting for her to return. This wasn't the time for brazenness.

…At least, it wasn't for her, because the concealed ones made their auras less hidden. She tracked them down to a cave embedded in a rocky cliff face – some were hiding behind rocks, some were among the trees, and others were in the cave at various depths. She tried to focus further…

…but was distracted by a boulder suddenly falling from the sky right in front of her.

"!?"

She fell over in shock. Where did-!? Who could-!? She didn't sense any hostility at all!

"Hahahahaha… well, if it isn't the little flower girl… I would say I'm surprised… but I'm not," calmly commented a blue-skinned being who had suddenly appeared on the cliff face. It had on a simple black robe, had wild and unkempt long white hair, had a third eye set in the center of its forehead, and had in one hand an iron club and another boulder in the other. "After all, they would use a battle-hungry human like you to try and take us out." The being snapped its fingers and several other oni faded into view.

…Uh oh… Alright, Natsuki. Stay calm and don't panic. You can always use _that_ if you have no other choice, she thought while picking herself up. Not that I want to have to use it… ugh… She decided to play it cool. "And what makes you think I'm here for small fry like you? I've beaten your group before." She smirked at him, playing up her cocky demeanor. "Or have you already forgotten that, Takoi?"

The oni just smirked back. "Oh, we never forget. And unfortunately for you, your old tricks won't work." He laughed at her as he beckoned his minions forward. "Now then, flower girl… why are you here?"

"Hmph. Looking for someone. Not your ugly mug, though. Now if you don't mind, I'll be-"

"Oh, but we do mind. Right, gang!?"

The other twenty oni roared in support of their leader.

"Now then… prepare yourself!"

And with that, Tokai jumped off the cliff face, club raised and prepared to strike. His gang followed.

Natsuki grumbled to herself about them not learning their lesson, got into a fighting stance, and flared up her fighting aura.

Much to her surprise, the oni did the same.

…_uh oh._

* * *

The sudden flaring of multiple hostile auras, especially many that they didn't recognize, alerted the rest of the group towards Natsuki's plight. Yuri, despite being the most winded, was the first to rise… but almost immediately fell back down. Kikyo helped her up and then their group hurried towards the commotion.

As they arrived, they could feel two of the auras intensify. They guessed that one of them had to be Natsuki, but as for the other… they had no idea.

As they got close, however, they got their first hint when they were stopped by two blue-skinned oni.

"Halt! Who are… oh, Yuuko, it's you!" exclaimed one.

"You've brought more comrades! These two must be Yuuto and Sayori, yes? So, who are these other two?" asked the other.

"Yuri and Kikyo, two vampires travelling with my brother," she said introducing the two. Yuri bowed to them and they bowed back while Kikyo merely kept a watchful eye over the two. Yuuko continued: "Say, you two haven't also happened to see a short girl with black hair run through this area, have you?"

"You mean the flower girl?" asked one.

"She must've followed them here!" confidently stated the other.

"Or maybe they're the ones following her, to stop her from ruining everything!"

"Oh, yeah, that's a good point…"

"Err, actually… she's one of our allies," admitted Yuuto. "It'd be best if we didn't fight…"

The oni looked surprised. The two wondered aloud how their group had managed to get such a battle-fiend to help out their cause. Yuuto quickly explained the matter of how their group came to be formed, not mentioning Meari or Sayori's incident, as the two oni led them to the field of battle.

"Oh no… we're gonna have to stop the boss before he goes all out!" said one of the oni.

"We'll try to get our friend to stop too!" said Sayori in response.

Suddenly, another oni emerged after being flung out of the battlefield. One of its two comrades stopped to help while the other led Yuuko's group along. They emerged near one of the caves where Anko's group was based, and saw a transformed 'Kurobara' fighting one on one with the boss oni Takoi. Or rather, a transformed Natsuki, as her hair was pink again. Gone was the plain brown leather armor she normally wore. Instead, she was wearing what looked to be white chest armor, dark pink hakama pants, black boots, black gloves, and a black head tie with two long tails.

At the moment, the two were sizing each other up. They both looked winded.

"You've gotten a lot better to force me to use this form," claimed Natsuki. "But… this ends now!"

Takoi laughed. "Hehehehe… we'll see about that. Take this!" The oni raised has club high and made ready to lunge at Natsuki…

…but it froze in place once a new menacing aura appeared from the mouth of the cave. They could all feel it – a fiery spirit, enraged and excited. The oni pulled back, and laughed again.

"Ah, she's finally noticed? Well, I can wait for her to get here… I know she hates being left out of the action…"

"…who are you-?"

She was interrupted by a sudden attack. A figure cloaked in flame emerged from the nearby cave entrance and swung at Natsuki. The surprised girl barely managed to dodge the first punch, but she could only block the follow-up attack, a kick. The heavy blow sent her into a tree, almost knocking the tree over and definitely knocking the wind out of her sails. The woman – tall with red hair, red eyes, red fox-ears instead of human ones and wearing a red, orange, and black outfit – approached the grounded Natsuki.

"I don't know who you are, but you picked a fight with the wrong group," she said, cracking her knuckles. "Takoi, let me handle this. It's been a while since my last fight. I'll end this in one…"

"MOM NO!" yelled Yuuto and Yuuko at the same time, rushing towards the battlefield and Anko.

The woman stopped in place and turned towards the two, dropping her menacing aura and her flames. "Yuuko, you're back! And you found Yuuto! …and Sayori too, I see. But this girl is…"

"…with us, mom," said Yuuko to interrupt her. Yuuto was too busy hugging her to say anything, as was Sayori after reaching them. "Sorry for the confusion; she went on ahead of us."

"Oh dear… well I hope she'll be alright… we can tend to her in the caverns if she needs it."

Yuri and Kikyo, meanwhile, were tending to Natsuki. Her pride had suffered more damage than body, thankfully, so she would be fine after a bit of rest. After a bit of convincing, Takoi forced out an apology to the injured Natsuki, and Anko led all of them into the caves.

* * *

"You really haven't gotten any of our letters then? …Alright, we'll have to move out from here in the morning then. They're probably following our trail still…"

Anko sipped on her cup of tea. She had setup a fire pit and boiled a pot of water for the group. Anko, her two children, and Sayori were huddled in one group near the fire, while Kikyo, Yuri, and Natsuki were resting and leaning upon a nearby wall. Takoi had gone off with the rest of his group elsewhere after Natsuki was healed.

"How did you find out about all this anyway?" asked Yuuto. "You told us before about the last angel war, but that was a long time ago, right? Have they been waiting all this time for another fight? And-"

"Goodness dear, you have a lot of questions!"

Anko chuckled at the face her son made when she interrupted him.

"It's alright, dear. I'm glad that hasn't changed. I'll answer them all. It all started when…"

And so, she explained the whole scenario up to that point. She and Daifuku had bid the three of them farewell some months ago on what they thought was a normal quest – deliver a sacred relic to a shrine. Sure, it was odd that the quest specifically wanted a strong adventurer or a group of them for one small task, but some people are unnecessarily paranoid. That was what they thought up until they had actually accepted the quest and encountered one of the angels.

The angels were a reclusive bunch, having departed from the surface world to live amongst the clouds in a floating city so long ago that no one on the Earth now remembered why they left. They came down decades ago to bring war to the land in an attempt to conquer it under the rule of their leader Metatron. Excuses were made by them to justify it, but that's all those turned out to be. They were defeated, and fled, not to be seen again.

Until recently, at the same time these shards started turning up.

"The angels each have a strange power unique to them, which makes them all dangerous foes. And it took a while before we starting realizing why they had even returned."

She held up one of the green jewel shards their group had managed to hold onto. It glowed and shimmered, and the three of them could feel that it was filled with a strange power. Sayori commented that it was beautiful while staring into it wistfully. It was almost… familiar to her.

"What would happen if they got them all?" asked Yuuto.

"Well… we don't know," answered Anko honestly, putting the shard away on her person, "but it can't be good considered what they wanted to do without them. You don't have to join us if you don't want to, but we'd really appreciate it. We need all the help we can get…"

The three of them interrupted her and eagerly offered to join them. Of course, they'd help!

Anko smiled at them. "Thank you so much! And your friends…?"

"We'll let them know when they awake," answered Yuuto, "I think they'll want to help though. 'Kurobara' loves a good fight, and the other two are bound to travel with us for now."

"So, mom, if we're leaving here, where are we going now?" asked Yuuko.

"Right. Here's the plan…"

And so, they spent the rest of the day discussing the future, present, and past, finally reunited.


	8. Chapter 8 - Golden Mountain, part I

Chapter 8 – Attack on Golden Mountain, part I

Later that night, Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo joined in the conversation regarding future plans. Natsuki as 'Kurobara' was mostly interested in fighting the angels directly, and as per her agreement with the group she had to bring Yuri and Kikyo along with her. Anko, however, was mostly trying to gather information.

As such, the following was proposed: 'Kurobara' and her team would lead most of the group away and join up with Daifuku's larger fighting force, while a small team of Anko, Yuuto, Sayori, and Yuuko would continue with Anko's investigation regarding the Angel's plans and base of operations.

With all present in agreement (including the rest of Anko's group), they spent the night relaxing and split up in the morning, making arrangements to meet again once they knew where to go.

* * *

Their investigations had led the group of four deeper into the mountains. There were still only few public reports or quests regarding the angels and fewer had encountered them and escaped to tell the tale. Running on rumors, the four of them had departed to wander once more in the wilderness. Following the trail of one rumor – which said that an angel was nearby in search for one of the jewel shards – the group of them were descending down a mountain into a heavily forested region.

They were several days out from any other villages. If anything were to happen now...

Anko clenched her fist. I won't let anything happen to us, she thought to herself. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Now was the time to continue the search. They split up once again to cover more ground – Yuuto going with Yuuko, and Sayori going with Anko.

After a while of silent aimless wandering, Sayori piped up. "Anko?"

"Hm? Is something the matter?" she asked. She remembered Sayori is being an upbeat and talkative girl, so she wasn't sure if the newfound quiet was due to the situation they were now in or something else entirely. Whatever was going on, she only hoped she could do something for her kids' best friend.

"Ummm... can you pull out that jewel shard again?"

Eh? "Well, certainly, but why?"

Sayori fidgeted, uncomfortable. To be honest, she didn't really know why either. There was just something about that jewel, trapped within the depths of its greenness. It reminded her of something that she couldn't remember or recognize. Or maybe it was _someone_? That strange girl in her dreams...

"..."

"..."

"Ehehe... you know what, never mind. I'm just being silly and-"

"No, Sayori," interrupted Anko. "If you really think it's important, I can... just let me find it... ah, here it is. Hold on to it for a bit."

The shard was just as green as ever, shining brightly in the daylight. Sayori stared at it, focusing intently. There was something within it and within her, and she felt they were resonating with each other. She tuned out the rest of the world, including Anko's concerned questioning...

_There's something nearby!_

...and then she could feel it. Another shard of the jewel. With determination, she started moving.

"Follow me!"

And Anko had no choice but to do so, as Sayori was already on the move. The girl can be surprisingly fast when she's motivated, Anko thought. She could be a great fighter if she wasn't opposed to violence... but then again, healing was a sacred art with few dedicated practitioners, so maybe this was for the best.

As they kept moving, Anko started to hear the faint sound of flapping wings, which was followed up by the large sound of crashing wings. The two of them looked up, and sure enough, they could see a massive six-winged feathered beast off on the distance, coming towards them.

"Is that...?"

"An angel? Yes. But what is it...?"

Suddenly, several fast-moving small creatures flew past them. Pixies. And one of them had in hand...

"Ah, w-wait!"

...another jewel shard, but they couldn't hear Sayori's plea and kept up their flight. Sayori chased after them, while Anko immediately started calling out for her two kids. Now that they had a lead, it was time to follow it!

* * *

How long had they been fleeing now? Days? Weeks? Even longer?

"It's still there!"

He had lost track. Ever since he came across this shiny thing, misfortune had followed him.

"Just keep flying!"

First, a faceless man with a body of shadows.

"We can lose it in those caves over there!"

Second, a strange being made of flaming many-eyed wheels.

"Hey, look! Someone's fighting it!

And third... wait, what?

Sure enough, he – a pixie named Pixl – and the rest of the pixie troupe stopped their rush, hiding in a tree, and watched as the feathered being that was chasing them suddenly had something else to contend with. Or rather, someone. At least one person, perhaps two, was launching fireballs at the beast, and it retaliated by firing back powerful gusts of wind that reached even to them. They all clung tightly to the trees as the battle continued, with the creature eventually being forced to retreat, crying out its indignant fury.

Once the coast seemed clear, they breathed a collective sigh of relief and descended from the tree hovering in place, commiserating amongst themselves. Several moods floated at once – gratitude, confusion, anxiety, and so on. As such, Pixl was the first to notice their human guest.

"A human!" he exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

"Ummm... hello there!" exclaimed Sayori.

They all turned to face her, and then dispersed into the trees.

"Ah! W-wait! I'm not here to hurt you! We want to help!"

There was rustling in the trees, but no response.

"My name is Sayori! I'm with a group of adventurers! We're trying to stop the angels!"

...

More rustling, but still nothing.

"They're after that shard you have! They'll stop at nothing until they have it."

...

One lone pixie flew out, holding onto the shiny thing. "This thing?" Pixl asked.

"Yes, that! How did you find it?"

The pixie answered as the human's other companions – including a kitsune – arrived onto the scene, and the other pixies grew brave enough to show themselves as well. While foraging for food one day, the shiny thing attracted his attention and he claimed it for the group. It didn't take long for strange beings – which he learned where called angels – to start appearing, demanding the shiny thing as their rightful property under the charge of their leader Metatron. The angels attacked them mercilessly, and they were forced to flee across the land, splitting up in the process. Their group had ended up here after being chased by that giant bird.

"This is pretty typical of them. You're lucky to have escaped alive," commented Anko.

All the pixies started shivering at that, panicked.

"Mom, I don't think that helped..." said Yuuto.

"It's true though," added Yuuko. "You'll be much safer with some protection. Why don't you all come with us for now?"

"Ummm... but just to warn you, we're probably going to run into more of them," commented Sayori. "We're trying to stop them from doing to everyone what they were doing to you."

The pixies took a moment to discuss the matter amongst themselves before coming to a decision. Then, only Pixl approached them. "I'll be coming with you. They'll only follow me since I have the shard, right?"

Anko nodded. "That's right. You're quite brave to come with us, you know? That's commendable." She smiled at the pixie, trying to reassure him.

Pixl chuckled, and smiled back. "Thank you..."

He turned back to the other pixies. "I'll come find you again when this is over. We'll meet at..." and then he proceeded to describe the place to them, the place they had all been before all of this started. They then wished him well, waved goodbye, and went along their way.

"So, what's your name?" Sayori asked, as their group went another way.

"My name is Pixl. It's nice to meet you all," he said. "What is this thing anyway?" he asked, holding up the brilliantly shining shard in his hands. Sayori, still holding onto the shard Anko gave her, held it up next to the other shard. The two shards started shining more intensely as she brought them closer to each other, until, as if they were magnetic, they attached themselves to each other and...

_Hello? Can you hear me?_

...and became inseparable, now one larger glowing shard. It radiated the same energy as before, just with more energy.

"...Sayori? You there?"

"Huh?" She blinked. Everyone else was staring at her. Ah! Oh no! She had to keep up appearances, had to keep them thinking everything was fine. That was the best way to make it fine, right? "Oh, sorry, everyone! It's just... I can sense the energy these shards give off. I'm surprised you all can't."

"I can, but it's pretty faint," commented Anko. Yuuto, Yuuko, and Pixl all agreed. "But more importantly, whenever you stare into it like that, you become totally unresponsive. I'm gonna have to hold onto it until we need you as a tracker, okay?"

Sayori pouted, but relented. Yuuto promptly started making jokes about Sayori secretly being part dog, much to her embarrassment, and the mood became much lighter. Even Pixl – who was now learning the names of the others – was able to relax, now a bit more secure that he and his pixies would be safe.

...and also more secure about this plan that he had been convinced into aiding.

Are you sure about this? asked Pixl. I don't see how these four are different from any other adventurers. A voice replied in his head, stating that these four were not ordinary adventurers, they were just the ones they had been looking for. They were not alone, and only they would be able to complete the jewel and use it for its intended purpose. Or more specifically, only _she_ could.

The voice was not forth coming with further details and left once again, leaving Pixl to hope that it knew what it was talking about. If not, it would be their heads on the line, after all...

* * *

That group continued on, searching for the location of the angel's secret base. And eventually in their search, they heard of a useful rumor: the angels were allegedly congregating around a place known as the Golden Mountain. Anyone who drew near was repelled away by the strange adversaries that the angels were, so nobody could get further details.

After deliberating on it, they decided the time had come to send a message to the others. They would continue light scouting and get as close as they dared, but wouldn't ascend the mountain just yet.

And as for the others?

Much like their smaller group, the larger group of demons, fae, and humans, accompanied by Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo, also engaged in fights with the angels and gathering green jewel shards. Unlike the smaller group, however, they were never able to gain any information regarding the hideout of the angel's bases. They were, however, able to increase their ranks, ending up roughly doubling in size by the time they found Daifuku and the mass of the fighters.

And it was there that Natsuki, Yuri, and Kikyo had an unexpected reunion with...

"Meari!?"

"I told you all we'd meet again~!" replied the masked girl, happy to see her former companions again. She hadn't made any progress in finding out why she had become the way she was – with a cursed invisible body and lost memories – but gained some new information instead. Those green jewel shards the angels were after... she felt some kind of connection with them. Once she realized this connection with the strange power, she was able to track them down and ran into Daifuku and his group.

"Well, well, well~! I would never turn down more friends! Welcome to the team, Meari, hahaha~!" is what he said after she requested to help them in hopes she could find answers to her growing number of questions. With his easy-going and charitable nature, it was easy for her to see how he had gathered such a fearsome force around him. Despite her condition, she was accepted easily into the throng of fighters and had helped them press on, with them claiming a growing number of victories against the angels.

The number of shards they had gained was increasing, and she was able to fuse them together into bigger clusters. As she did so, it became easier for her to track down more and more shards.

So, this jewel, she thought, must be related to how I became how I am now! I have to gather all the shards as fast as I can! Maybe I can use the power of the jewel to restore my body and live without a mask!

Her hope buoyed her, and she quickly became a leader among the ranks, working closely with Daifuku and a small group of other leaders. And her senses were telling her that there was another big cluster in the distance, distinct from the many smaller ones.

Once the message arrived from the searchers, Meari was able to confirm that the Golden Mountain was the place to go. And so, they marched on, hope that the end was in sight speeding them along!


End file.
